A Consecrated Marriage

What does it mean to have a consecrated marriage?  The word consecrate means that we give everything for a holy or sacred purpose.  When it comes to marriage it means that we are willing to give our spouse our best efforts and complete forgiveness every day.  Each spouse comes into their marriage with their own personalities and quirks.  Being willing to look past those little annoyances, and appreciating our spouse for who he is can help us develop a consecrated marriage.

Kent Brooks of the BYU faculty of Church History and Doctrine says this:

“Our capacity to love a spouse deeply and our ability to experience great joy in marriage are commensurate with the degree to which we are willing to suffer hurt, to labor and toil, and to persevere through moments of unhappiness, stress, disappointment and tests of our patience and love for our partners.”  It is having a Christ like love.

In my own marriage my husband has been such a great example of this.  I have many faults that he has chosen to look past.  Through the little things he does for me every day I have no doubt of his deep love for me.  His ability to give, and give even more, especially during the times of extreme stress astounds me. His willingness to forgive me every single day only deepens my desire to do the same for him.   As he does this for me, I strive to do the same for him. 

H. Wallace Goddard asks these questions:

1.     Do (I) bring (my) greatest generosity and richest forgiving to (my) marriage?

2.     Do (I) offer my whole soul and (my) best efforts as an offering?

He goes on to say  “those who consecrate themselves to their marriage by bringing their whole souls as an offering to the everyday events of a relationship are building a storehouse of sweet memories.  They are building an eternal relationship on brick at a time.”