Marriage for Eternity

So, I've been thinking and studying a lot lately about marriage.  I'm taking a lot of classes this semester that focus on family and marriage.  I'll tell you about them, then I'll tell you about the thoughts I've been having recently.  I decided to include a bunch of pictures of the temple, ones that are significant in Rachel and my life.  I'll talk about those too.

To start off, classes.  I'm taking a parenting class that has been really useful and has really opened my eyes to the world of raising children (something I have actually never done).  The more that I learn about it though, the more excited I am for my little baby to get here.  I know that I'm not the most righteous person at any certain principle, but I really hope that I can be a righteous father and a great husband.

I'm also taking a class on The Family: A Proclamation To The World.  This class basically just breaks the proclamation down into really small pieces and studies each of them in great detail.  It's been very insightful.  One thing we've studied that's been interesting is how we use our leisure time as families.  We should use it to build each other and grow closer to each other.  This can't be done by watching TV every night.  Wholesome Recreational Activities should build us and challenge us.  They should require planning and they should be centered on us as a family.  They should be frequent as well.  One huge vacation every year isn't enough to tie your family together, that's why there's FHE.  Plan to do things with your family so that you'll stay together.

The last that I'm taking is Strengthening An Eternal Marriage.  This class has been really awesome.  I learned the other day that Help-meet is more accurately translated to Ezzer Kenegdo.  Ezzer means helper, but Kenegdo could translate to corresponding, opposite or counterpart.  So when we're given to each other as help meets, we become each other's corresponding counterpart, we become complete.

So, my thoughts as I was studying for a couple of these classes today.  I was reading a talk by Elder Bruce C. Hafen, and he said some things that got me to thinking.  God the Father is perfect, we are His children whom he and His wife, our heavenly Mother has created.  There are a few attributes I'd like to mention that contribute towards our Father in Heaven's perfection: He is resurrected, He has a perfect knowledge and is without sin, and He has an eternal marriage.

Why these attributes?  Well, for the first we know that we must be resurrected to be perfect.  Christ said in Matthew 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."  Later, in 3 Nephi 12:48, Christ said, "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect, even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."  Christ wasn't all that the Father was, until he was resurrected.  Of course we must be without sin and have a perfect knowledge to be perfect as well.  The marriage is the last thing that contributed towards perfection.  D&C 131:1-4, you must have an eternal marriage to enter the highest degree of the celestial kingdom.

So, my point I was getting to was, Why?  Why do we need an eternal marriage?  I pondered it and I think I came up with one fairly good explanation.  If we must be physically, mentally and spiritually perfect, those three things kinda cover it.  Physical perfection is resurrection.  Mental perfection is having all knowledge.  Spiritual perfection is not just being without sin, but being prepared to do all that the Father does.  What does He do?  He creates.  Perhaps marriage is given to us so that we may procreate.  Procreation will give us the practice in this life that we need to prepare to create as the Father does.  The covenant of marriage should be protected, because if you violate the sacred rights of procreation in this life, you will never create again.  We raise children to become adults, Father in heaven raises his spirit children to become Gods.

 So, I don't think it was super profound or anything.  I just thought it was significant.

Anyway, why these temples?  First, the Washington DC Temple has always been special to me because I served my mission there and I've had a lot of great experiences there.  Second, the Rexburg Temple is special because this is where Rachel and I now live.  We love to see the temple on the hill above Byu-I.  Third, the Salt Lake Temple is where Rachel received her endowments.  It was really special for us to be able to go there together.  Lastly is the Columbia River Temple, where I joined with my counterpart for time and all eternity.  This is the temple where I became whole.

I love my Rachel with all of my heart.  She has completed me.  I am hers and she is mine.  I have covenanted that I will be one with her.  We will never be parted for all eternity.  I love her and I always will.