The talk by Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Seventy, "Covenant Marriage", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 26, shares many stories about how blissful marriage at the beginning. We think that getting married we will have no more problems and its happy ever after from here on out. I have been married for 12 years and I thought that as soon as I got married. We are so excited and blinded by what can happen after marriage. “Covenant marriage requires a total leap of faith: they must keep their covenants without knowing what risks that may require of them.”

Then Elder Hafen shares the story about the “Hireling” and the Good Shepherd, “Jesus taught about contractual attitudes when he described the “hireling,” who performs his conditional promise of care only when he receives something in return. When the hireling “seeth the wolf coming,” he “leaveth the sheep, and fleeth … because he … careth not for the sheep.” By contrast, the Savior said, “I am the good shepherd, … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (2) Many people today marry as hirelings. And when the wolf comes, they flee. This idea is wrong. It curses the earth, turning parents’ hearts away from their children and from each other.” In order for our marriage to continue we need to treat it like a covenant vs. a contract. When we do we have a covenant marriage, we are all in at 100 percent instead of a contract marriage at only 50 percent.

What are the types of wolves that affect our marriage? We first see the natural adversity, like the lost of new born child. The second is their own imperfections, the criticism of ourselves or others towards us. The third is the excessive individualism, thinking about our own wants and needs before others.

Adam and Eve wouldn’t know any opposition and have no children. They would live forever in innocence. Instead, they left the garden so that they could have joy. To have joy they needed to know opposition. They wanted to multiply and replenish the Earth. “The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Adam blessed his posterity because “he wanted to bring them into the presence of God.” (First Presidency Message What I Hope You Would Teach Your Children about the Temple by President Ezra Taft Benson, Liahona, April 1986.) How did do this? “The answer: Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the House of the Lord and received their blessings. The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son” (President Ezra Taft Benson).

When we have entered the House of the Lord, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day’s Temple, there are certain blessing we receive according to President Ezra Taft Benson, which are:

• You will receive the spirit of Elijah, which will turn your hearts to your spouse, to your children, and to your forebears.

• You will love your family with a deeper love than you have loved before.

• Your hearts will be turned to your fathers and theirs to you.

• You will be endowed with power from on high as the Lord has promised.

• You will receive the key of the knowledge of God. (See D&C 84:19.) You will learn how you can be like Him.

Even the power of godliness will be manifest to you. (See D&C 84:20.)

• You will be doing a great service to those who have passed to the other side of the veil in order that they

might be “judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (D&C 138:34.)

Such are the blessings of the temple and the blessings of frequently attending the temple.

Through the Holy Spirit, we will feel the strength of the temple in our own lives and marriage. I know that I have been blessed through regular temple attendance. For example, I was about to give birth to my first son, my third pregnancy and knew I needed that extra blessing due to my life threatening deliveries. During a priesthood blessing, the spirit told my father, who was performing the blessing, “because of my regular temple attendance that I will be blessed and protected.  The baby will be strong and healthy.”  I still had complications, but I am alive today because of my faith and temple attendance. My son is safe and made it out of the NICU after one week. I am grateful for those who built temples and sacrificed much for the blessings of marriage. To help us find away back to the presence of God. These men and women had such strong testimonies and faith that were willing to be God’s instruments and build temples, strengthen families, and continue strong marriages.