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The Great Commandment of Marriage

At a particular time of uncharacteristic strife in my relationship with my Beloved Husband (known here as BH), I decided that I needed to find some answers in my marriage manual. You know, the black one with embossed gold lettering and gilt pages. I think Heavenly Father was waiting anxiously to give me the answers I was seeking because within just a few minutes I found something that has changed my married life. I found it, as most my answers are found, in a verse I've read many times before.
Thou shalt love thy wife [or husband] with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.  (D&C 42:22, italics added)
I've always loved that verse. It always seemed so pretty and poetic. But as I started really pondering it and studying it, I came across a bit of knowledge that had eluded me before. I remembered the Savior's great commandments:
 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:37-40)
I began to search for every place I could find in the scriptures that the Lord asks us to love or do something with all of our hearts and I was surprised with what I came up with.
8 scriptural references asking us to love the Lord with all of our hearts
4 places in the scriptures that ask us to serve the Lord with all of our hearts
and one scripture instructing us to love our spouse with all our hearts. 
The eyes of my understanding were opened. Heavenly Father wasn't asking me to love my BH as myself, as my neighbor, or as my friend. He was asking me to share all of my heart, something that belonged all to Him, to love my BH as I loved Him, and to love my BH as only He loved him. Suddenly I understood how important my marriage relationship was to Heavenly Father and to me.
He wanted me to "seek [my husband] with all my heart" when I felt distant from him and promised that I would find him again. (Deut: 4:29)
He wanted me "walk in all [my husband's] ways" and share his journey, struggles, and triumphs as if they were my own. (Deut 10:12)
He wanted me to "trust [my husband] with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding", putting my trust in his meaning and his intentions, knowing that he would never do anything he knew would hurt me.
Over the next few weeks I looked up every scripture about the heart and read it with a new understanding relating it to my marriage and my love for my BH. Again I realized that the gospel truths are true in all aspects of our lives, and that the happiness of joy of our Father's love can permeate into every corner of our lives and our hearts if we just give it room there.

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Monica Lynn is wifey and momma dedicated to making life beautiful. You can follow her adventures at {domestic artistry}





 
Enjoy shopping for quality baby clothing at TradeTang.com

MMB

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