One of the articles in Elder Bednar's book, "Increase in Learning" is a copy from his talk "Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan." This talk is based on the timely and inspired declaration, The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
"Today we are engaged in a war for the welfare of marriage and the home, in my latest reading of the Book of Mormon I paid particular attention to the ways the Nephites prepared for their battles against the Lamanites. I noted that the people of Nephi 'were aware of the intent of [their enemy], and therefore they did prepare to meet them' (Alma 2:12). As I read and studied, I learned that understanding the intent of an enemy is a key prerequisite to effective preparation. We likewise should consider the intent of our enemy in this latter-day war." - David A. Bednar
What perfect timing it is for me to be reading these articles as I am one week away from traveling with my friends to understand a little more fully "the intent of the enemy" and to help share this inspired Proclamation with the world.
It is interesting to me that as we have prepared for this trip, many of the women in our group have made mention of more struggles at home and in their marriage than ever before. Many have felt more tension and friction within the very unit they are seeking to defend. I feel very fortunate and blessed that I have not had this issue in my own family but I do know that when the Lord calls us to do something, and we set out to do it, "the bells of hell begin to ring" (as Brigham Young would say.) It is absolutely crucial therefore that in these moments we dig our heels deeper in our resolve of keeping our covenants, seek the Spirit of the Lord, and give all we've got to loving more fully.
When I was sixteen I was given a Patriarchal Blessing wherein I was blessed that marriage would be uppermost in my mind and in my heart. I feel that this has truly been the case all of my life. I believe in giving everything I possibly have and doing everything I possibly can to keep my marriage with my husband strong and healthy, come what may, through thick and thin! This relationship is "central to our Father's plan", upon it hinges the lives of my children, their children and their children's children for generations to come. This is not a small thing to fight for!
Yet we can see clearly there are few in the world who understand this and they give up at the slightest sign of trouble. Families are falling apart left and right, especially the core structure of the relationship between husband and wife, father and mother. The effect is exactly where the Adversary wants it; a terrible malady, a horrific epidemic of people becoming "miserable, like unto himself".
"No one would wish a bad marriage on anyone. But where do we think 'good marriages' come from? They don’t spring full-blown from the head of Zeus any more than does a good education, or good home teaching, or a good symphony. Why should a marriage require fewer tears and less toil and shabbier commitment than your job or your clothes or your car?
Yet some of you will spend less time on the quality and substance and purpose of your marriage—the highest, holiest, culminating covenant you make in this world—than you will in maintaining your ’72 Datsun. And you will break the hearts of many innocent people, including perhaps your own, if that marriage is then dissolved." - Jeffrey R. Holland - However Long and Hard the Road
Elder Bruce D. Porter has stated:
"We live in a day when the love of many, even toward their own children, is waxing cold; a day when so many people love pleasures more than God; a day when good is called evil and evil good. Those who defend the traditional family, who stand for fidelity and chastity and all that once was considered wholesome and praiseworthy are mocked and ridiculed. On the other hand, those who see no problem with fatherless homes, who advocate abortion, who fight all attempts to limit pornography, and who seek to redefine the very essence of what a family is, are praised and upheld as champions of tolerance. Truly, the world has turned upside down."
All the more reason that people of faith do not stand idly by or faint by the wayside. It is imperative that we go forward with courage in this vital cause of protecting marriage and the family, in our own homes, our own personal lives, and in the world. I testify that it is worth every single drop of our blood, sweat, and tears!
-Alicia
