Temple Marriage

My lovely mother is teaching in Sunday school this week and sent me the below questions to answer. First off, she’s going to give an amazing lesson. Not to embarrass her, but sometimes she gets the tiniest bit nervous about teaching this class (Gospel Doctrine) despite being an incredible teacher. I felt like posting my responses here as Sel and I most recently celebrated our anniversary and I am feeling extra grateful this week for our marriage.

1: What did you do to prepare for a temple marriage?

I had been preparing to go on a mission when I met Mike. I had already been attending temple prep classes for a few months and once we got serious, we started going to them together. We also prayed together and separately before getting engaged to know if He approved of our choice to marry one another.

2. What difference has it made in your marriage to be married in the temple?

It is made all the difference to have been married in the temple. My marriage is the most God-like aspect of who I am, it transcends mortality. Our sealing unites us with one another, but most importantly, it seals us both to our Heavenly Father. The center of our marriage something special than our love for one another, it is centered on our love of the Gospel. It brings power and perspective to every hour we blessedly spend together.

3: What advice can you give to those who have not yet been married in the temple?

Sacrifice anything and everything to be married in the temple. If you’ve found the person you want to spend the rest of eternity, don’t let anything stand in your way from making those marriage covenants. It is worth waiting for. It is worth resisting temptation. It is worth any monetary value you could conceive. Nothing will ever compare to kneeling across from your spouse and creating a never-ending promise to love them.

4: How does temple attendance strengthen your marriage?

It reiterates the promises we made the day we were married. Every time we go together, I gain deeper understanding of why our marriage is so key to our happiness. I leave the temple knowing the man standing next to me a is a son of God and I am His daughter. We are obligated to love one another as He loves us.

5: What blessings have you seen because of your temple marriage?

I could never number the vast blessings I have seen because of my temple marriage. It has given me more joy than I ever imagined. It has humbled me, refined me, and tested me. It has let me see a deeper side of divinity. It has taught me how to be that little bit more kind, selfless, patient and charitable. It forms me each day into a more Christ-like person. I am so, so grateful for my opportunity to have a temple marriage.