Tuesday, March 19, 2013

More about love...

You know how Marie Curie comes up in your English assignment in 5th grade and all of a sudden she's everywhere that week? That night's episode of The Simpsons, the next Friday's episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, various and sundry other sources.

Whelp, since my Valentine's Day entry love talk has been everywhere, esp in relation to relationships. I've had more than three conversations in the past two weeks with disparate (nonMormon) friends about relationships and marriage, Sunday School was about how to have a good marriage and how to treat your spouse, and my friend posted an Ensign article on Facebook that I think is so on point about everything I've been trying to communicate.

One of the amazing things about LDS doctrine is that it's very simple and logical. Spiritual and moral reasons aside, not drinking, doing drugs, sleeping around, staying out of debt and having a 72 hour kit makes sense. So what do we say on marriages and love? (taken from Agency and Love in Marriage by Elder Lynn G. Robbins)

"There are no perfect marriages in the world because there are no perfect people. But our doctrine teaches us how to nurture our marriages toward perfection and how to keep the romance in them along the way. No one need ever “fall out of love.” Falling out of love is a cunning myth which causes many broken hearts and homes."

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Too many believe that love is a condition, a feeling that involves 100 percent of the heart, something that happens to you. They disassociate love from the mind and, therefore, from agency. In commanding us to love, the Lord refers to something much deeper than romance—a love that is the most profound form of loyalty. He is teaching us that love is something more than feelings of the heart; it is also a covenant we keep with soul and mind."

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Because love is as much a verb as it is a noun, the phrase “I love you” is much more a promise of behavior and commitment than it is an expression of feeling. “I love you” is a phrase we should be using in our homes much more than we do. "

"Scripturally, the Lord is very clear with us on this doctrine—you can’t “fall out of love,” because love is something you decide. Agency plays a fundamental role in our relationships with one another. This being true, we must make the conscious decision that we will love our spouse and family with all our heart, soul, and mind; that we will build, not “fall into,” strong, loving marriages and families. “Don’t just pray to marry the one you love. Instead, pray to love the one you marry.”"

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It is only by our constant, committed effort that we will make the love we share with our spouse a constant for eternity."

Putting it out there: I have very little romantic relationship experience (although I love my friends dearly), but I 100% believe that love takes work and that the constant and daily effort to make your partner happy is how to have a successful relationship. I've seen it work and know it's true. 

1 comment:

  1. I once had an experience like this, but with hoarfrost. (See D&C 121:11)

    "Because love is as much a verb as it is a noun, the phrase “I love you” is much more a promise of behavior and commitment than it is an expression of feeling."
    I really like that, especially when that concept is applied to the greatest commandments. Thanks for sharing!

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