Paul wrote to the Corinthian Saints, “Neither is the
man without the woman, neither the woman
without the man, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11).
In modern revelation the Lord has said, “And again,
verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry
is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of
God unto man” (D&C 49:15).
President Joseph F. Smith once declared “that no man
can be saved and exalted in the kingdom of God
without the woman, and no woman can reach
perfection and exaltation in the kingdom of God,
alone.... God instituted marriage in the beginning.
He made man in His own image and likeness, male
and female, and in their creation it was designed
that they should be united together in sacred bonds
of marriage, and one is not perfect without the
other” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1913, p. 118).
Surely no one reading the scriptures, both ancient
and modern, can doubt the divine concept of
marriage. The sweetest feelings of life, the most
generous and satisfying impulses of the human
heart, find expression in a marriage that stands
pure and unsullied above the evil of the world.
Such a marriage, I believe, is the desire—the hoped-
for, the longed-for, the prayed-for desire—of men
and women everywhere.
Single Brethren and Sisters
While riding a plane some time ago, I picked up a
copy of the New York Magazine.As I thumbed through
it, I came to a section titled “Strictly Personals.” I
counted 159 advertisements placed by lonely men
and women seeking partners. It was evident that
those who had placed the ads had labored to cast
themselves in the best light possible. I wish I had
time to read some of them to you. You would enjoy
them. There was nothing of an unseemly nature. It
was easy to sense that behind these witty and clever
descriptions was much of sadness and loneliness,
a great desire to find an amiable companion with
whom to walk the road of life.
My heart reaches out to those among us, especially
our single sisters, who long for marriage and cannot
seem to find it. Our Father in Heaven reserves
for them every promised blessing. I have far less
sympathy for the young men, who under the
customs of our society have the prerogative to take
the initiative in these matters but in so many cases
fail to do so. Strong words have been spoken to
them in the past by Presidents of this church.
Marital Bliss
Marriage usually means children and family. Can a
young mother, having given birth to her first child,
doubt the divinity and the wonder and the miracle of
it all? Can a young father, looking upon his newborn
son or daughter, sense other than that this is a part
of the design of the Almighty?
Of course, all in marriage is not bliss. Years ago
I clipped these words from a column written by
Jenkins Lloyd Jones:
“There seems to be a superstition among many
thousands of our young who hold hands and smooch
in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded
by perpetual hollyhocks to which a perpetually
young and handsome husband comes home to a
perpetually young and ravishing wife. When the
hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear
the divorce courts are jammed....
“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going
to waste a lot of time running around shouting that
he has been robbed” (“Big Rock Candy Mountains,”
Deseret News,12 June 1973, p. A4).Pain Is Part of the Process
Stormy weather occasionally hits every household.
Connected inevitably with the whole process is much
of pain—physical, mental, and emotional. There is
much of stress and struggle, of fear and worry. For
most, there is the ever-haunting battle of economics.
There seems never to be enough money to cover
the needs of a family. Sickness strikes periodically.
Accidents happen. The hand of death may reach in
with dread stealth to take a precious one.
But all of this seems to be part of the processes of
family life. Few indeed are those who get along
without experiencing some of it. It has been so from
the beginning. Cain quarreled with Abel and then
did a terrible thing. How great must have been the
grief in the hearts of their parents, Adam and Eve.Love for Rebellious Children
Absalom was the third son of David, a son favored
and loved. David had given him a name which
meant “father of peace.” But he brought not
peace—rather, anger and ambition and sorrow. He
killed his brother and conspired against his father.
In the midst of his evil actions, in his wicked pursuit
for his father’s throne, while Absalom rode a mule,
his head caught in the branches of an oak tree, andMARRIAGE FORETERNITY 175