Sunday Scripture! Maawigh, Twu Wuv!! and the Temple

Matt & Rachel (seriously awesome couple)

D&C 132:7-13

7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by reveltaion and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.

(click the link above to read the rest )

Today I returned from Utah, where I attended my cousin Rachel's wedding in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful sealing, my uncle Don is a sealer in the Salt Lake Temple (meaning, he is able to perform the marriage) and it was the most amazing ceremony I have witnessed. He said so many things that I had never heard before, or perhaps it was the way he said them, but I suddenly understood it all in a new way.

He spoke of the gifts that the husband and wife bring to the marriage by mere sake of their divine heritage. As the husband, holding the priesthood is a gift you bring that the wife depends on you to be worthy to hold. As the wife we are blessed with the gift of being the ones to bring children into our families. Now since we believe in eternity and that things go beyond this life and into the next as women, if we live worthily, we will be able to have children in the next life as well.

I had never really thought of it all in that way, that it is our gift to our husbands and theirs is their gift to us, to our marriage. He also spoke of how we must be giving of ourselves and that anything that we want from our marriage, we must GIVE FIRST! I love that, it is such a reminder to not be selfish, to not expect the other to read our minds, to give freely of ourselves, of forgiveness, of devotion, of kindness, and of love. If we do these things it will aid in the happiness of our marriage, we will see our spouse in the light they are intended to be seen in.

The other point that really stood out to me was the rules we set for our homes, that we must abide by them and agree upon them early on so that we can teach them to our children. It made me think of the rules we have set in our home;

• That there will be no 'R' rated movies played in our home.
• There are to be no bad or hurtful words said to one another.
  
• We will attend our Sunday meetings together
• Monday nights are family nights where we hold FHE (Family Home Evening)
• Supporting each other in our efforts, i.e. school, work, sports, church callings, creative outlets
• Keeping an orderly home, a place where the spirit can reside, where we will feel safe and comforted from the world.

These are just some of the rules that we live by in our home, we aren't perfect but they are the standards we have set and pray to live by everyday. I am grateful for my marriage, for the family we have and for the efforts we make to love one another.

This weekend gave me a renewed sense of the wife I want to be, to be encouraging and never demeaning, for us to laugh often together, to spend quality time together. I want to be the best wife that Jimmy could ever have, the best wife for him and to him, so that he is never going to be looking for an upgrade.

My Uncle Don and Rachel (her grandpa)