We can bring the greatest of all
liberties into our individual lives by living true and correct principles. This liberty comes to us as we learn to live
as though Jesus Christ were walking beside us.
We gain this freedom as we invite the Holy Ghost into our lives.
The liberty principle for
today is number fourteen in a series of true principles suggested by Elder
Richard G. Scott in his book
21 Principles –
Divine Truths to Help You Live by the Spirit.
I will merely introduce the principle and suggest that you obtain Elder
Scott’s book in order to truly understand this principle. Elder Scott explained that principles “are
concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of
circumstances. A true principle makes
decisions clear even under the most confusing and challenging
circumstances.” You can see principle #1
“True Principles of Freedom” here.
Principle #14 is the simple
fact that when we have a happy marriage we “can transform a house into a place
of heaven on earth.” When God created
Adam and Eve, He created them as a man and a woman and performed their wedding
ceremony.
In September 1995 the First
Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints issued a document known as “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Copies of this proclamation were taken to
leaders in cities, counties, states, and nations.
This proclamation begins with a
solemn declaration that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God
and … the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of
His children….”
The proclamation concludes with
a warning: “We warn that individuals who
violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to
fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of
the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities
foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
“We call upon responsible
citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures
designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of
society.”
When we know that God ordains
marriage between a man and a woman, we better understand why marriage and
family life is under attack by Satan and those who listen to him. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and has
organized us in families in order to encourage happiness.
Elder Scott explained that God
created men and women differently and gave them “unique traits especially
fitted for their individual responsibilities as they fulfill His plan. In the Lord’s plan, it takes two – a man and
a woman – to form a whole. Indeed, a
husband and wife are not two identical halves, but a wondrous, divinely
determined combination of complementary capacities and characteristics.
“Marriage allows these different
characteristics to come together in oneness – in unity – to bless a husband and
wife, their children and grandchildren.
For the greatest happiness and productivity in life, both husband and
wife are needed. Their efforts interlock
and are complementary. Each has
individual traits that best fit the role the Lord has defined for happiness as
a man or woman. When used as the Lord
intends, those capacities allow a married couple to think, act, and rejoice as
one – to face challenges together and overcome them as one, to grow in love and
understanding, and through temple ordinances to be bound together as one whole,
eternally. That is the plan” (p. 69).
We can find true happiness in
our marriages if we follow the plan outlined and taught by prophets of
God. Elder Scott explained that we need
to “recognize that spouses need each other” to form a whole. Spouses need to recognize that both of them
work hard for the benefit of the family and each needs to feel appreciated in
their roles. He also explained “there is
a difference in how the priesthood is used in the home and how it is used in
the Church. Because the Church is an
organization where there are different levels, a hierarchical structure, we
sometimes need to make decisions for those who are serving under us. In the home, the priesthood is not used that
way. It is a patriarchal order… [where
spouses] “make every decision together.”
If we cannot come to a decision, we should work at it under we can.
Elder Scott suggested that we
include prayer in our decision-making process.
“You will find the greatest happiness if you will base every decision on
the question, `What does the Lord want us to do?’ Seek together the will of the Lord. That, I believe, is the way to keep the
balance we should.
“Throughout your life on earth,
seek diligently to fulfill the fundamental purposes of this life through the ideal
family. While you may not have yet
reached that ideal, do all you can through obedience and faith in the Lord to
consistently draw as close to it as you are able…” (pp. 70-71).
