We had a lesson in church today about loyalty to your spouse. The emphasis of the lesson was on holding your spouse's needs higher than any other. This is because the Lord's commandment upon marrying Adam and Eve (and by extension, us) was: "to be one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) The marriage relationship is often the strongest bond any of us form in this life. But after the lesson I got to pondering these principles. Do they really only apply to the husband-wife relationship?
We who are married are encouraged to sustain our spouses. The struggles of daily life often require the talents and strengths of both partners to overcome. Those who practice this united lifestyle for long will find that they are able to overcome situations that would have crushed them individually. What prevents us from extending the strengths of this united way of life beyond a marriage?
Are we not supposed to treat our brother as ourselves? The scriptures that God has given us are replete with the message of unity. Are we not "our brother's keeper"? Is it his doctrine to fight among ourselves? No. "Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away." He wants us to be unified. While in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed for us:
"Neither pray I for these alone (the apostles), but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they may be one; as thou, Father, art in me..." (John 17:20,21)
It seems clear to me that this unity is essential to our Father's plan for us. "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness, and there was no poor among them." (Moses 7:18)
Now, you can read the scriptures all day, but if you don't listen then you won't ever learn anything. After all, it's pretty silly to pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to fix your life, but you're unwilling to change your ways. The Lord has innumerable blessings for us. He wants nothing more than to bless us. But he is Just, and so he must live by the law.
"And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:21)
What blessings are you missing in your life because you are not obeying the laws necessary to receive them?
What blessings could you receive by striving to live united with your spouse, your siblings, your co-workers, your neighbors, or even your enemies?
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