Book of Mormon: Day 175: The Plan of Redemption & Marriage -

Today’s Reading: Alma 12:22-37

30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.

I just want to start this post by saying that I love the phrase, ‘therefore God conversed with men’. There it is, a simple phrase to prove to you that God is there. He cares about us and through prayer and studying the scriptures we can converse with God too.

What I want to write about is ‘and made known unto them the plan of redemption’.

When we hear about the plan of redemption, salvation, happiness, we mostly think about the atonement. But there are four things needed for the divine plan to be successful {i}:

The Creation of the earth.
The condition of mortality or the Fall brought about by physical death.
Redemption from the Fall.
The opportunity to progress eternally by entering into exaltation, which is only possible through eternal marriage.

God ordained that men and women should marry and give birth to children, thereby creating, in partnership with God, the physical bodies that are key to the test of mortality and essential to eternal glory with Him. He also ordained that parents should establish families and rear their children in light and truth, leading them to a hope in Christ.

A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive—the setting for the birth of children, who come in purity and innocence from God, and the environment for the learning and preparation they will need for a successful mortal life and eternal life in the world to come. A critical mass of families built on such marriages is vital for societies to survive and flourish. That is why communities and nations generally have encouraged and protected marriage and the family as privileged institutions. It has never been just about the love and happiness of adults.{ii}
Elder D. Todd Christofferson

I can’t say it any better than Elder Christofferson did. Marriage has always been sacred to me. I didn’t just dream about the ‘perfect wedding’. I dreamed about the ‘perfect family’. I wanted more than just a wedding. I dreamed of a man who would be worthy to take me to the temple, who would honor his priesthood and help me raise our children side by side. Celestial marriage is a sacred gift.

My heart aches for those who haven’t been able to participate in marriage, or whose marriages haven’t gone according to plan. The Lord knows your heart. He knows your desires. It will all work out in the end. Do your best to continue to raise your children in an environment where they can learn and prepare for a successful mortal life and eternal life to come.

To declare the fundamental truths relative to marriage and family is not to overlook or diminish the sacrifices and successes of those for whom the ideal is not a present reality. Some of you are denied the blessing of marriage for reasons including a lack of viable prospects, same-sex attraction, physical or mental impairments, or simply a fear of failure that, for the moment at least, overshadows faith. Or you may have married, but that marriage ended, and you are left to manage alone what two together can barely sustain. Some of you who are married cannot bear children despite overwhelming desires and pleading prayers.

Even so, everyone has gifts; everyone has talents; everyone can contribute to the unfolding of the divine plan in each generation. Much that is good, much that is essential—even sometimes all that is necessary for now—can be achieved in less than ideal circumstances. So many of you are doing your very best. And when you who bear the heaviest burdens of mortality stand up in defense of God’s plan to exalt His children, we are all ready to march. With confidence we testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has anticipated and, in the end, will compensate all deprivation and loss for those who turn to Him. No one is predestined to receive less than all that the Father has for His children. {iii}

Marriage is a hard topic to write about. But we can’t not talk about it as it is part of the plan of salvation. May we ever strive to obtain all the blessings of the plan of redemption here on this earth but know that no one will receive less than all that is in store. Be it in this life or the next, it will all work out!