I will be the first to admit that sometimes my husband can be as much work as my children. He leaves his clothes lying on the floor, toothpaste in the sink, paperwork on the counter tops, and has to schedule his day around the sporting events on TV. After a long day of working for both of us, he needs a welcome commitee full of smiling hellos, hugs, and dinner all ready to consume upon arrival home. I, on the other hand, don't get a welcome committee, because well, its hard to arrive home when you don't leave with the exception of runs to the grocery store, dentist or soccer practices, all of which ussually require my welcome committee to come along with me. It can be easy to feel frustrated, or even resentful sometimes. Thankfully, by looking at life with an eternal perspective these feelings can be changed.
The leaders of my church, who we consider to be prophets, seers and revelators, have given a Proclamation to the World, concerning the family. The reason for giving this proclamation can I believe, be best understood by a statement from one of the apostles of our church, Henry B. Eyring. He said "Because our Father [in Heaven] loves his children, he will not leave us to guess about what matters most in this life concerning where our attention could bring happiness or our indifference bring sadness." God wants for us to be happy and successful, so he has provided instructions for us to help. Sometimes this comes from scriptures, sometimes from answers to prayers, or through other people. The prophet and apostles are one of the insructional tools God have given to us, to provide additional guidance and inspiration through this life.Through them, the proclamation was given to provide insight and direction for creating a happy and eternal family. It states: "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
Did you catch that last part there? Equal partners. Even with the obvious differences that males and females possess, we know that we are meant to work together. Our unique God given traits are meant to compliment and support one another. God knew that Adam could not make it alone, so he created a "help-meet" for him, and Eve "did labor with him" side by side in the garden of Eden. Im sure even Adam and Eve shared their differences, as most males and females do. They probably had their share of disagreements and Eve probably also experienced feelings of frustration. But, as I read this paragraph from the proclamation I am reminded that for a marriage to be successful, we need to have forgiveness, respect and compassion toward our spouse. When we work together as equal partners and set aside selfish feelings, we can truly experience happiness in our family life. Obviously, as the proclamtion also states, there will be circumstances that "may necessitate individual adaptation." Disabilities, Death and Divorce do happen, but we can be assured that we always have a partner by our side who will support, comfort, understand, and provide for us-Jesus Christ.
By allowing Jesus Christ to be a partner in our life and marriage, we can receive the strength and guidance needed to lift and inspire us. I cant control what anyone else chooses to do, but I can control what I do, say and think and as Elder Eyring teaches, "we can decide that we will do all that we can to bring down the powers of
heaven into that family we want so much to have forever." I am grateful that I have a three-way partnership with my husband and with my Savior. Together, we work and serve our family, so we can have peace, strength and love in our home.
*The link to the full proclamation can be found on the sidebar of this blog.
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