It was wonderful news last week, when we heard President Henry B. Eyring, one of the members of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (LDS Church) had the opportunity to present his witness and testimony to the International Interreligious Colloquium in the Vatican City. What an honor it was for him to represent the LDS Church at this religious conference.
To the LDS Church community this was such a big deal. It’s like a budding singer playing at Madison Square Garden, a cartoonist drawing for Walt Disney, or a young scientist presenting to Albert Einstein. The Vatican is the most respected religious place on the earth and with this historic religious gathering from 14 religions all over the world; President Eyring had the opportunity to be a voice to many other religious leaders. They all gathered to speak of “The Complementarily of Man and Woman” which defends traditional marriage between a man and a woman.
President Eyring’s topic of choice was “to give evidence that a man and a woman, united in marriage, have a transcendent power to create happiness for themselves, for their family, and for the people around them” which he titled “To Become As One”. He spoke so eloquently of his own personal life of when he met his future wife and when they were married in the temple for time and all eternity.
He spoke of the joys, the struggles and the accomplishments they both experienced in becoming as one as a married couple. They both agree they have become better people from the life they shared together even with their differences and they are happy.
From his happily married life President Eying asks this question: Why do some marriages produce happiness while others create unhappiness? He tells us of one factor which makes a difference in many marriages: selfishness.
He says: “Where there is selfishness, natural differences of men and women often divide. Where there is unselfishness, differences become complementary and provide opportunities to help and build each other. Spouses and family members can lift each other and ascend together if they care more about the interests of the other than their own interests. If unselfishness is the key to complementary marriage between a man and a woman, we know what we must do to help create a renaissance of successful marriages and family life.”
We all need to be reminded of how to be successful in our marriages and President Eyring did a wonderful job helping us be better marriage partners. He also talked about the guidelines from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” issued in 1995 by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are very comforting words: “The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.
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Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed”.
This conference is a testimony to me that the world still regards marriage between a man and a woman as the most important. Keeping sacred marriage covenants and improving ourselves as marriage partners is still important to many people. I hope President Eyring’s words will be heard around the world to ensure those who have doubt about the institution of marriage.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
