Come Follow Me: Why is temple marriage important?

I love being a counselor in the young women's organization in the ward.  I enjoy getting to teach them about the things that I truly do care about.  This week I was able to teach them about temple marriage and why it truly is something that they should work towards.

I started off the lesson by reading the following story which urges the youth to make a decision about getting married in the temple, while they are young: (source)

Something as wonderful as a celestial marriage doesn’t just happen.

In Lewis Carroll’s story Alice in Wonderland, Alice approaches the Cheshire Cat and asks, “Would you please tell me which way I ought to go from here?”

The Cheshire Cat replies, “That depends a great deal on where you want to go.”

Alice says, “I admit, I don’t much care where.”

The Cheshire Cat then says, “Then it doesn’t really matter much which way you go, does it?”

“Just so I get somewhere,” responds Alice.

Then the Cheshire Cat reveals an interesting truth: “Oh, you’re sure to get there if you keep walking long enough.”

How many of us are going through life telling ourselves, “If we keep going long enough, we’re going to get somewhere,” but are not defining exactly where that place is we want to be? “Somewhere” is not good enough. We must know where we want to go and be firmly committed to getting there. And we should get that knowledge and commitment early.

These girls may be thinking, "but I am only a teenager.  Why do I need to decide if I want a temple marriage now?"  Well, because it is so necessary to their eternal life.  So I went on to explain why temple marriage is so important.

In our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, the only way to obtain exaltation is through the new and everlasting covenant of celestial marriage (see D&C 131:1–3). When a man and a woman are sealed to each other for time and all eternity in the temple, they have the assurance that their relationship will continue forever if they are true to their covenants. They know that nothing, not even death, can permanently separate them.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. (source)

These two entries define why temple marriage is important.  It is essential to gain exaltation.  But once the girls understood that, I wanted to show that all kinds of people have found joy in being married in the temple, and that they can strive to get to the temple. 

• Our Temple Marriage was Worth Any Price: This is a story about a young couple who had to travel from their home in Panama to be married in the Guatemala City Temple.  But they encountered many trials on their way there.  But in the end it was worth it.
• Eternal Marriage: This is the story of President Joseph Fielding Smith and his journey through being sealed to a wife, then becoming a widow, then being sealed again, then being widowed again, being sealed a final time, and then becoming a widow again.  He truly understands the importance if he kept doing it.
• My Own Marriage:  I shared some thoughts on my own special day.  I shared the keys to a successful celestial marriage that I was given that they can implement in their lives today:
• prayer
• family home evening
• scripture study
• Alex should open doors for me and pull out my chair
• pay an honest tithing
• attend the temple

 (I also shared some wedding pictures, because that's fun to share.  And young women love weddings!)

 
Our girls seem to enjoy mixing things up, so I try to include a video or song during each lesson.  This week I showed a video that included the song "I Love to See the Temple" to set the mood for the closing of my lesson:


I ended by handing each girl a picture of the temple that we are assigned to attend, the Salt Lake Temple.  And ended with this quote:

I plead with you, the youth of Zion everywhere, to keep yourselves clean and pure so that you will be entitled to go to the house of the Lord and, together with the companions of your choice, enjoy all these great blessings the Lord offers to you. (source)

Lesson found in the Come Follow Me materials found here