By Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
While I was a college student, I met nearly every living apostle and attended meetings with them often. Those are precious memories for me, and one of the most significant of them was when I met Elder Scott. He took my hand, looked me straight in the eyes, and greeted me so kindly. I’d never felt so much love from someone I’d just met, and I knew he was an apostle of the Lord.
I just watched this talk from the worldwide conference that the church held a few weeks ago. Elder Scott spoke from his heart about the significance and splendor of marriage. I believe the most important work we can do in life besides strengthening our relationship with God is strengthening our relationship with our spouse. These efforts also bring the most joy. Elder Scott’s talk really inspired me, so I thought I’d share it here. You can watch it or read some highlights below.
(I had to post the video separately because of technical problems.)
Quotes
“Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness are marriage and the family.”
“Pure love is an uncomparable, potent power for good. Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children. As a mother you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child’s special talents and unique capacities. With your husband you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower.”
“It is so rewarding to be married. Marriage is wonderful. . . . You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together.”
“Marriage provides an ideal setting for overcoming any tendency to be selfish or self-centered. I think one of the reasons that we are counseled to get married early in life is to avoid developing inappropriate character traits that are hard to change.”
Story
Once I learned an important lesson from my wife. I traveled extensively in my profession. I had been gone almost two weeks and returned home one Saturday morning. I had four hours before I needed to attend another meeting. I noticed that our little washing machine had broken down and my wife was washing the clothes by hand. I began to fix the machine.
Jeanene came by and said, “Rich, what are you doing?”
I said, “I’m repairing the washing machine so you don’t have to do this by hand.”
She said, “No. Go play with the children.”
I said, “I can play with the children anytime. I want to help you.”
Then she said, “Richard, please go play with the children.”
When she spoke to me that authoritatively, I obeyed.
I had a marvelous time with our children. We chased each other around and rolled in the fall leaves. Later I went to my meeting. I probably would have forgotten that experience were it not for the lesson that she wanted me to learn.
The next morning about 4:00 a.m., I was awakened as I felt two little arms around my neck, a kiss on the cheek, and these words whispered in my ear, which I will never forget: “Dad, I love you. You are my best friend.”
If you are having that kind of experience in your family, you are having one of the supernal joys of life.
