Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening,
this post should take four minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish.
This post focuses on April 2011 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" by Elder Richard G. Scott. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk.
Elder Scott has mentioned the following; "... If you are a young man of appropriate age and are not married, don’t waste time in idle pursuits. Get on with life and focus on getting married. Don’t just coast through this period of life. Young men, serve a worthy mission. Then make your highest priority finding a worthy, eternal companion.
When you find you are developing an interest in a young woman, show her that you are an exceptional person that she would find interesting to know better. Take her to places that are worthwhile. ... If you want to have a wonderful wife, you need to have her see you as a wonderful man and prospective husband.
... be very, very happy eternally by staying within the bounds of worthiness the Lord has established. If you are married, are you faithful to your spouse mentally as well as physically? ... Are you kind and supportive of your spouse and children?
Brethren, do you lead out in family activities such as scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening, or does your wife fill in the gap your lack of attention leaves in the home? Do you tell your wife often how very much you love her? It will bring her great happiness.
I’ve heard men tell me when I say that, “Oh, she knows.” You need to tell her. A woman grows and is greatly blessed by that reassurance. Express gratitude for what your spouse does for you. Express that love and gratitude often. That will make life far richer and more pleasant and purposeful.
Don’t withhold those natural expressions of love. And it works a lot better if you are holding her close while you tell her. I learned from my wife the importance of expressions of love. Early in our marriage, often I would open my scriptures to give a message in a meeting, and I would find an affectionate, supportive note Jeanene had slipped into the pages.
... Those precious notes from a loving wife were and continue to be a priceless treasure of comfort and inspiration. I began to do the same thing with her, not realizing how much it truly meant to her. ... I remember one day I took some of those little round paper circles that form when you punch holes in paper, and I wrote on them the numbers 1 to 100.
I turned each over and wrote her a message, one word on each circle. Then I scooped them up and put them in an envelope. I thought she would get a good laugh. When she passed away, I found in her private things how much she appreciated the simple messages that we shared with each other.
I noted that she had carefully pasted every one of those circles on a piece of paper. She not only kept my notes to her, but she protected them with plastic coverings as if they were a valuable treasure. There is only one that she didn’t put with the others. It is still behind the glass in our kitchen clock.
It reads, “Jeanene, it is time to tell you I love you.” It remains there and reminds me of that exceptional daughter of Father in Heaven. As I have thought back over our life together, I realize how blessed we’ve been. ... Now I realize that blessing came because of her.
It resulted from her willingness to give, to share, and to never think of herself. In our later life together, I tried to emulate her example. I suggest that as husband and wife you do the same in your home. Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good.
Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children. ... What enduring fruits result from the seeds of truth that a mother carefully plants and lovingly cultivates in the fertile soil of a child’s trusting mind and heart?
As a mother you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child’s special talents and unique capacities. With your husband you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower. It is so rewarding to be married. Marriage is wonderful.
... You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together. ... Jeanene’s kindness taught me so many valuable things. ... Marriage provides an ideal setting for overcoming any tendency to be selfish or self-centered.
I think one of the reasons that we are counseled to get married early in life is to avoid developing inappropriate character traits that are hard to change. I feel sorry for any man who hasn’t yet made the choice to seek an eternal companion, and my heart weeps for the sisters who haven’t had the opportunity to marry.
Some of you may feel lonely and unappreciated and cannot see how it will be possible for you to have the blessings of marriage and children or your own family. All things are possible to the Lord, and He keeps the promises He inspires His prophets to declare.
Eternity is a long time. Have faith in those promises and live to be worthy of them so that in His time the Lord can make them come true in your life. With certainty, you will receive every promised blessing for which you are worthy. ... I know what it is to love a daughter of Father in Heaven who with grace and devotion lived the full feminine splendor of her righteous womanhood. ..."
If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
