What is this thing so valuable that the powers of darkness fight to destroy it? How can a simple feeling grow into such devotion that warrants vicious attacks from those who oppose it. We are at war, with an unseen, yet not unknown enemy. He and those who follow him will stop at nothing to separate us for eternity from those we made sacred promises’ with in the presence of God. The greatest happiness is found in this relationship. The earth was formed for this to happen. The goal of our existence is obscured by one who is known as the great deceiver, the father of all lies. We were once in the presence of a God and Goddess who we desired to be like. This long desired and yearned for goal was the thing we went to war for against our brothers and sisters who opposed it. We wanted to be married, to form families. We wanted this because we saw the happiness and blessings we cannot come close to imagining. So if we think for a minute that this will go without opposition than we have been fooled by the master of all fools. We, who are so easily stirred up to anger and so quick to forget the tender mercies all around us, simply cannot forget this divine purpose. Marriage was not an idea first conceived here in mortality, it was ordained of God himself, a married exalted being. He who created our spirits and worlds without end knows the end from the beginning. It is He who wants to give us all he has but is bound to laws that are associated with these great blessings. It is not some cheap trinket that is easily obtained. Those in the world today who would warp or discard this sacred bond are suffering from myopia. If I could glimpse the importance of this relationship I would try much harder to realize its full potential. I was thinking about our honeymoon. Jeremy had worked hard at delivering pizzas to earn the money. He paid for it himself, expecting a wonderful and relaxing vacation. We had never been on a cruise before. We dint know what to expect only the good things others had told us. We arrived and it was so exciting. Things were going great until the next day, I got horribly sick. I was writhing in pain on the bed in our cabin. I had never felt such pain. I wanted to go home. Jeremy was left a lone man wandering the decks of an unfamiliar ship. I couldn’t participate in the fun activities or excursions. Jeremy ate alone. I remember him smiling as he talked about all the food he ate and how good it was. That made me happy. I remember him making me laugh even though it hurt and giving me a priesthood blessing. I remember his strong arms as he kindly picked me up and slowly carried me to the deck so I could see the ocean and all the stars one night. I looked out at the vast open sea and marveled more as I looked at the man beside me. After we came to port I was taken to the emergency room where my infected kidneys were immediately drained and I was given ivs and medication. During our trip Jeremy could have been upset, found another companion, or even jumped overboard! He could’ve cursed God or me that the thing he had worked so hard for was just not as fun as he wanted it to be. He never complained, he only seemed happy and content just to be there with me. Maybe we saw our heavenly parents who have a perfect marriage and thought this was how it was going to be. We had hoped that this was going to be the dream vacation to start our life together off with. What we got was something different. But we entered that ship together and we got off together. Sometimes the one you marry chooses to leave you or the promises you made and that is no fault of your own. We are sealing ourselves more than to the person sitting across from us, we are sealing ourselves to the Savior, who makes everything right if we keep our promises to Him.
The love Jeremy and I share is greater than the tempests we have faced. What started as an act of faith continues to be a faith based work every day. We have traveled together in mortality for almost 20 years and the winds and storms have raged at times, but mostly it has been full of sunshine and blues skies because we have put our trust in the captain who is leading us to our eternal home. There have been thrilling views and miracles that have taken our breath away. Sometimes we dance on the deck when no one is watching; sometimes we meet strangers who become our friends. I recently heard a woman who had been married for 60 years tell of how when her husband left this earth she was lying beside him in his hospital bed. She held onto him as he took his last breath. That image penetrated my heart. That is worth the bills, the long nights with babies, and everything wonderful in between. To know you have loved someone so completely here that it will last until it is a perfect love, a love that has no end.
