Skip to main content

A Husband and Wife; God's Way


Isn't it fascinating how we can mistake good people for what we perceive to be wrong with the world?  Isn't it funny how we can dislike something, and then consequently dislike, or even hate someone who represents that thing?  
Isn't it horrible how wrong we are so often?
I'm no exception.  I remember being a young man, and my parents told me time and time again that, "smoking is bad for you.  It will kill you.  Stay away from it".  In my tiny young boy understanding of the world, I did a small logical equation as follows;
Smoking = Bad.  Therefore, People who smoke = Bad
And that isn't the case.  Are they making a bad choice?  Maybe; medical science sure seems to think so!  But does that mean that I should feel some sort of detachment or hatred for that person?  No!  Their choices are not what define them -- though they will affect their lifestyle.
This is a point that I learned about a few years ago on the streets of western Ukraine.  I was serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I was blissfully unaware of what was going on in the United States at the time, as I didn't have regular access to television, newspapers, or internet.  I hadn't heard a word about the Obergefell v. Hodges case, and didn't know that same-sex marriage had been legalized federally in the United States.  
Ukraine is a VERY conservative country when it comes to the definition and application of marriage.  Want to see something discouraging?  Look up how Ukrainian Pride Parades have turned out in the past few years.  It's absolutely dismal.  
Well, just my luck, I look like an American through and through, red, white, and blue.  My companion (the person you're assigned to work with on the mission) was very much Ukrainian.  We left our apartment the morning after a large news story had hit the streets of Chernivtsi -- "Americans Love the Gays".  I was spit at, sworn at, and people threw things at me.  I remember one man saying, "If you want to teach someone about God, go back home!  They need your more than us it seems!"
And it stung.
I feel like it’s so important to share my feelings; People aren't their choices.  People have incredibly unique souls capable of choosing for themselves.  Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that same-sex marriage is ordained of God.  No, but it doesn't teach us to hate people who do.  People have different lives, experiences, and wishes.  
Christ taught love.  Never hate.
RUSLAN GUZOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
And that love was ordained of God to exist between a man and a woman.  As President Russell M. Nelson stated,
“The Church has a single, undeviating standard of sexual morality: intimate relations are acceptable to God only between a husband and a wife who are united in the bonds of matrimony.”
I’ve attached a link to the rest of his discourse at the bottom of this post.
In a big way, marriage is more than we choose do define it as.  God is the one who created it – and His definition is what really matters. I hope that individuals will read President Russell M. Nelson’s discourse and ask; Why would God ordain marriage between a man and a woman?  What’s His plan here?
I believe that as we try to understand His thoughts in organizing this life and His commandments, we'll come to better understand our role and try to be better in any way we can.
I know that God loves everyone, and wants to give us all a chance to live His commandments.  I also know that nobody is perfect, and nobody can live up to a perfect standard.  
Ultimately, I hope that others feel a sense of respect and love.  To my brothers and sisters who fight the urge to act on homosexual feelings, I'm rooting for you.  For those who have chosen to embrace them, I still love you.  We are friends no matter what either of our particular struggles may be.

President Russell M. Nelson; Defenders of Marriage
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-divine-institution-of-marriage (Links to an external site.)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Councils

One of the greatest tools in marriage is communication.  I feel like we've talked about this to great length already, and you may be wondering to yourself, "Should I even read the rest of what he's about to write?  This'll be like, his fourth blog post focused on communication."  Yes.  Yes it will be.  And yes, you should read the rest of this because communication is IMPORTANT.  I will never not communicate about the importance of communication. However, wouldn't it be nice if there was a venue where you could trust in the powers of communication?  A place where family matters could be hashed out and decided in a somewhat civil manner?  I know that I sure do.  As the father of one little boy, I can already tell you that having more than one child under the age of 10 is going to make this dream far, far removed from me.  However, like a little tree is not ready to brave the storms of the world until it has sprouted roots, we must root...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gridlocked

When I participated in a service mission in western Ukraine for my church, I was assigned to a fantastic mission president.  Basically, he operated as the service leader and priesthood authority for that part of the country.  I remember him asking me on my first day, "do you like group projects?"  I hesitated to answer, because I wanted to present a facade that I wasn't just some "yes man".  He answered his own question when presented with my silence, "Of course you don't.  Nobody does.  They're hard.  However, all of the most important work in the world requires you to work with people.  In fact, you will accomplish very little in this life without at least working with a few people." In his book,  The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work,  Dr. John Gottman discusses some of the most sincere interactions that occur between people - fulfilling dreams and using marriage as a tool for helping two individuals to grow.  “Keep wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pride; The Poison of Marriage

Ask any member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and they will tell you how proud they are of their Prophet.  We love the direction, inspiration, and love provided by these experienced men!  One such man was Ezra Taft Benson, who served as the Prophet and President of the Church starting in the mid 80's.  And as proud as we are of our wise leaders, President Benson warned in his 1989 discourse entitled "Beware of Pride" that we should be cautious of certain  types  of pride; Ezra Taft Benson (Photo Source;  https://www.thechurchnews.com)  (Links to an external site.) "Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. This is the enmity of pride." The webster dictionary definition of enmity is " the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something". So let...
Post a Comment
Read more