Being worthy to marry in the temple is no small feat. It takes a life time of preparation, sacrifice, repentance and endurance to be worthy to be sealed for eternity in one of God’s holy temples. Being sealed enables a couple to be bound to each other not only during this life but into the eternities.
First off, please understand that a temple marriage does not equal a perfect marriage. There is no “perfect marriage”. It is through the institution of marriage that offers each spouse the ability to learn Christlike attributes as they humble themselves, give of their time unselfishly, show compassion towards their spouse and so forth. A temple marriage does not guarantee a perfect family either. It cannot guarantee perfect children or a sorrow free mortal experience. What it can guarantee is hope. In speaking of raising children who have been born under the temple covenant, the prophet Joseph Smith stated, “when a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother.” Elder Orson F. Whitney taught, “The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were His before they were yours - long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fullness of knowledge brings the fullness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend.”
While we cannot control the choices our spouse may make or the choices of our children, we can control how we react to those choices. We can also control our personal commitment to keep the sacred temple covenants we make ourselves. Elder Todd D. Christofferson said, “I urge each one to qualify for and receive all the priesthood ordinances you can and then faithfully keep the promises you have made by covenant. In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth his hand to you saying, “Here am I.” What a great blessing our temple covenants can be if you choose to remain worthy of those blessings.
In my own life I have been blessed with the knowledge and empowered with grace which has allowed to call down the powers of heaven to help me through trials with my spouse and children. I have firm faith and belief that as I continue to make sure that keeping my covenants is paramount in my life, I will be endowed with the ability to have love and compassion towards my family as I watch them navigate through their mortal life. I know some of their choices will not be pleasing to me but because of my temple covenants I can receive answers to my prayers of how the Lord would have me handle His precious children.
I leave a challenge with you. If you do not have a current temple recommend because of choices that have been made, simply change. Seek out the people who can help you make those changes and get to the temple. You posterity is depending on you for the blessings that comes from a sealing. If you haven’t been to the temple in a while, simply go. Study the covenants, their meaning and associated blessings. As you do so I have faith that you will see an increase of the spirit and a feeling of empowerment as you are on the road to creating an eternal family.
I invite you to read the following article about covenants and ordinances to better understand why they are necessary:
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