Chapter 10: Nurturing the Eternal Partnership 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.”

From the Life of Gordon B. Hinckley One evening when President and Sister Hinckley were sitting quietly together, Sister Hinckley said, “You have always given me wings to fly, and I have loved you for it.”1 Commenting on that expression from his wife, President Hinckley said, “I’ve tried to recognize [her] individuality, her personality, her desires, her background, her ambitions. Let her fly. Yes, let her fly! Let her develop her own talents. Let her do things her way. Get out of her way, and marvel at what she does.”2 Sister Hinckley was likewise supportive of her husband—as a father, in his personal interests, and in his extensive Church service.

Heavenly Father designed marriage from the beginning. How wonderful a thing is marriage under the plan of our Eternal Father, a plan provided in His divine wisdom for the happiness and security of His children and the continuity of the race. He is our Creator, and He designed marriage from the beginning. At the time of Eve’s creation, “Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: … Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Gen. 2:23–24.) (1 Cor. 11:11, D&C 49:15) How can this knowledge influence the relationship between a husband and wife? How can a husband and wife keep their marriage “pure and unsullied above the evil of the world”?

In the temple, a husband and wife can be sealed together for all eternity. [The] temples… offer blessings that are had nowhere else. All that occurs in these sacred houses has to do with the eternal nature of man. Here, husbands and wives and children are sealed together as families for all eternity. Marriage is not “until death do ye part.” It is forever, if the parties live worthy of the blessing.11 How can we teach children the importance of eternal marriage? What are the blessings of an eternal marriage in this life and in eternity? What experiences have given you greater appreciation for eternal relationships?

Husbands and wives walk side by side on an eternal journey. In His grand design, when God first created man, He created a duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other.14 In the marriage companionship there is neither inferiority nor superiority. The woman does not walk ahead of the man; neither does the man walk ahead of the woman. They walk side by side as a son and daughter of God on an eternal journey.15 Why does marriage need to be “a partnership of equals”? How can a husband and wife cultivate this kind of strength in their marriage?

God will not withhold any blessings from worthy individuals who are not married. Somehow we have put a badge on a very important group in the Church. It reads “Singles.” I wish we would not do that. You are individuals, men and women, sons and daughters of God, not a mass of “look-alikes” or “do-alikes.” Because you do not happen to be married does not make you essentially different from others. All of us are very much alike in appearance and emotional responses, in our capacity to think, to reason, to be miserable, to be happy, to love and be loved. Why is it important to use our talents and skills to serve others?

Happiness in marriage comes from showing a loving concern for the well-being of one’s companion. Nurture and cultivate your marriage. Guard it and work to keep it solid and beautiful. … Marriage is a contract, it is a compact, it is a union between a man and a woman under the plan of the Almighty. It can be fragile. It requires nurture and very much effort.23 What are some ways a husband and wife can “nurture and cultivate” their marriage?