Recently I attended another Mormon temple wedding. This one was my other brother’s wedding.
I wrote a more detailed account of what happens inside a Mormon temple during the wedding ceremony last month, so I won’t get into specific details in this article.
For now, I will highlight the advice the temple sealer said to the young couple.
Four Cornerstones for a Successful Marriage
1. Family Prayer
2. Scripture Study
3. Having a weekly Family Night
4. Regular Temple Attendance
We’ve all heard the catchy phrase, the “family that prays together stays together“. According to some research, prayer coupled with church attendance helped reduce divorce rates for couples.
The other similar phrase I’ve heard over the years is that the “family that plays together stays together“. There is also research that substantiates this comment. Holding a weekly family night is an excellent way to have an organized and set time to play with the family. I know that it is hard sometimes to find time to play with my kids, but family night is a great time to play with the kids. I’ve had some very memorable moments and am grateful for the family nights we’ve had doing projects, singing songs, playing games, and making treats.
Although this research supports families specifically, I would say that couples who hold regular date nights and take time to pray together experience greater satisfaction as well.
I’d be interested in hearing your experience and ideas to make a successful marriage work. Feel free to leave comments.
Grace for Grace 
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June 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm
jks
While those four are great, I think it is a poor list for “cornerstones for a successful marriage.”
I would put things like making sure your daily decisions are in line with:
1. Commitment to your marriage. Do your daily actions show your marriage is a priority? Do you search for ways to solve problems in the marriage? Do you make the decision to put your marriage above pride or selfishness? Do you make decisions for the long term good of the marriage rather than what is easiest just now?
2. Understanding of each other and where you are headed. Do you know what is important to yourself and to your spouse? Do you know what you are trying to accomplish together.
3. Love – Love is a choice. It is an action. Can you choose to be loving even when you are upset or angry.Can you see your spouse through God’s eyes? Are you there to criticize or support them in this life? Love isn’t giving in to whatever the other person wants….love doesn’t mean letting someone abuse you.
I think family prayer and scripture study and FHE and temple attendence can help you find these things in yourself and cultivate it in your marriage, but they aren’t an end in themselves when it comes to a successful marriage.
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June 23, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Cal
Important cornerstones, GraceforGrace. Wow, deep probing questions, jks.
One thing Helen & I do is sing praise songs together each morning. We have a large collection of praise song lyrics. Some are old hymns, some are Beatle songs and other secular songs adjusted to make praise songs, but most are simple songs that tell God how good he is. It sets our mornings off on the right foot.
Here’s an example:
(to tune of “Hey, Jude”)
Hey, Dad, you make it good
You take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let Him into your heart
Then you can start to become better
Jesus, we are your bride
We know you came to go out and get her
The minute you let Him under your skin
Then you begin to become better
And anytime you feel the pain, hey dude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s not cool to play the fool
By making your world a little colder
Na na na na na, na na na na
Jesus, don’t let us down
You have found us, now come and get us
Remember to let Him under your skin
Then you begin to become better
So let it out and let it go, hey me, you know
You’ve waited for someone to perform for
But now you know that it’s just you
Hey, Jesus, you’ll do
You’ve taken my fear upon your shoulder
Na na na na na, na na na na, yeah
Jesus, you make life good
You take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let Him into your heart
Then you can start to become better, better, better, better, better, OHHH . . .
(Thank you,) LORD
Your love is, your love is, forever!
[repeat]
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