Marriage & Oreos
Marriage is undeniably the most sacred union a man and woman can experience in this life and in the eternities. It is ordained of God and has the power to produce and strengthen families, AND influence and enhance society! Despite the world's overall moral decline, and with that, casual view of marriage, God's laws never change. Marriage is and will remain sacred and even crucial to our exaltation.
My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year and were a wonderful example to me of what a loving marriage ought to be. One thing they taught me through both word and example is that the key to a successful marriage, aside from all of the obvious things like showing kindness, respect, honesty, loyalty, having a sense of humor (that one's crucial), is putting God at the center. It is critical that both husband and wife strive to live the way He would have them live and to rely on Him for strength and guidance. When I was growing up and especially as I approached my adult years, I recognized this quality in my parents' marriage and wanted it for myself and my future husband.
I have now been married almost 15 years and while my husband and I have seen good days and not so good days, I can say with surety that the days we've worked to keep God at the center, we've been the most content, at peace, and in harmony with one another. I gave a Relief Society lesson several years ago on marriage and used an Oreo analogy. An Oreo has 3 parts. There are the two outer cookies - one of which represents the husband and the other, the wife. Then there's the center - the sweet, creamy, white filling. Can you eat the two outer cookies by themselves? Sure you can, but they taste so much better with the filling, not to mention the fact that the filling holds the two pieces together. I'd even go so far as to say the center part completes the cookie! It's obvious that this represents God. Sure, a marriage can survive with just the husband and wife, but involving God makes for a much sweeter, more sacred union.
My hope is that my husband's and my view of marriage not to mention our approach to putting God at the center, will influence our children for good and encourage them to strive for the same thing down the road.
My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year and were a wonderful example to me of what a loving marriage ought to be. One thing they taught me through both word and example is that the key to a successful marriage, aside from all of the obvious things like showing kindness, respect, honesty, loyalty, having a sense of humor (that one's crucial), is putting God at the center. It is critical that both husband and wife strive to live the way He would have them live and to rely on Him for strength and guidance. When I was growing up and especially as I approached my adult years, I recognized this quality in my parents' marriage and wanted it for myself and my future husband.
I have now been married almost 15 years and while my husband and I have seen good days and not so good days, I can say with surety that the days we've worked to keep God at the center, we've been the most content, at peace, and in harmony with one another. I gave a Relief Society lesson several years ago on marriage and used an Oreo analogy. An Oreo has 3 parts. There are the two outer cookies - one of which represents the husband and the other, the wife. Then there's the center - the sweet, creamy, white filling. Can you eat the two outer cookies by themselves? Sure you can, but they taste so much better with the filling, not to mention the fact that the filling holds the two pieces together. I'd even go so far as to say the center part completes the cookie! It's obvious that this represents God. Sure, a marriage can survive with just the husband and wife, but involving God makes for a much sweeter, more sacred union.My hope is that my husband's and my view of marriage not to mention our approach to putting God at the center, will influence our children for good and encourage them to strive for the same thing down the road.
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