For the past three Tuesdays, I've been heading south to Bountiful for an institute class on the family—marriage to be more specific. Last week was incredibly deep. So deep I wanted to share it with everyone so that I could keep saying the words out loud and thinking them through all over again. I called Carrie on my way home and then taught my parents when I walked in the door. At one point in my lecture, my dad said, "I'd never thought of it that way before." There you have it. The man can be taught! I felt extremely knowledgeable in that moment. The teacher that night was Wendy Nelson, Elder Nelson cute spunky wife. Most of her thoughts come from her book, which was under her maiden name Watson.
Here are some of the things we discussed in our class. Tell me your thoughts too!
-"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He wants to devour our self-esteem, our free time, our families, our marriages, our priesthood—things he will never have. He wants us to be selfish. He's good at catching us off guard and making us forget he's the one planting those discouraging thoughts in our heads.
-"As the forces around us increase in intensity, whatever spiritual strength was once sufficient will not be enough!" (Elder Eyring, Ensign, October 1999, p. 9) Doesn't this just make you want to reprioritize your life and better arm yourself?? I love the energy this statement builds. You can't risk being unprepared. We've got to keep being more and more pure and more and more in tune with the Spirit because we live in a deteriorating world.
-There's no strength in giving in.
-The difference between worldly sex and marital intimacy is that sex when married is a soulful and spiritual experience—your bodies AND souls are involved, and when experiencing true intimacy it should bring you not only closer to your spouse but to God. It doesn't degrade. It's symbolic of how united your life is in all aspects—service, work, blessing your extended family. It's not recreational. It's a sacrament. Why would we settle for merely a sexual experience when we can wait for marriage to have true God-ordained intimacy. (As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that pretty much all of you who read my blog are married, so this should be interesting.)
-"Nothing has done more damage to the family than denying we're the offspring of God, only advanced animals, compelled to yield to every carnal urge." (Elder Packer)
-You cannot completely give yourself until marriage. Of course there'll be momentary pleasure. Our bodies are wired that way. If we do wait, it'll be more meaningful with more joy.
-Pornography is a plague of biblical proportion.
-Virtual reality is here to replace virtuous living.
-Sister Nelson is a marriage and family therapist, so she's seen the affects of pornography on families. She made about six slides with two columns each to compare how the world views sex and how God views sex. I tried to write as fast as I could, but I didn't get everything. Here's a little of what I did get.
eternal (not erotic)
helps put off the natural man
under the influence of the Spirit
involves spirit-enhanced passions
soulful union is the goal (not sexual goal)
sanctifying experience
generates love (doesn't kill it)
enlightens and enlivens (doesn't darken)
honors men and women
strengthens relationships
body's a great prize of mortal life (not a play thing)
brings wisdom and love
partaken of (not participated in)
a process (not a product)
supports, heals, and hallows lives
rejoiced in (not joked about)
brings spouses' spirits to life
doesn't offend the Spirit
embedded in truth
union of souls
increases ability to keep commandments and covenants
foundation of endless worlds (not an industry)
The feelings and impressions that stayed with me were that I was born to be a queen. My Heavenly Father has set up His plan so that I can have all that He has if I remain faithful. And why would I settle for anything less? I have every reason to want a man who is worthy and who honors his priesthood and honors me. That night listening to Sister Nelson enlivened me and gave me the spark to keep going. My feet were starting to drag. I was getting drained. But her words gave me purpose again and reminded me what I am fighting for.
9 months ago
3 comments:
Loved these comments Katie! Thanks for posting them. They are very insightful. It is good to be reminded of these important things. The world definitely has a different definition of happiness and what a relationship should be. Thank goodness for the gospel!
Thanks for posting that, it is very powerful and so true. And wow you taught your Dad something!
That is what I needed just about now. It is so easy for people to let their guard down in just the right moment when the adversary is waiting. Good quotes like these keep me going through the tough times when you think you can't do what you were sent here to do. (being a mom to two kids is a lot harder that I thought!=))
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