President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote that “if all mankind would live in strict obedience to the gospel, and in that love which is begotten by the Spirit of the Lord, all marriages would be eternal; divorce would be unknown. Divorce is not part of the gospel plan and has been introduced because of the hardness of heart and unbelief of the people... There never could be a divorce in this Church if the husband and wife were keeping the commandments of God.” Marriage is not easy, which is why H. Wallace Goddard, PhD refers to marriage as “God’s finishing school,” in his book titled, “Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage.” Marriage requires sacrifice. Sacrifices that can sometimes feel uneven or unfair. However, I love the way Goddard states that, “We ‘sacrifice’ our puny preferences and God rewards us with eternal joy.”

This reminds me of Sister Reeves’ talk titled “Worthy of our Promised Blessings,” in October 2015 General Conference. She stated that “many have expressed that our Father’s promised blessings are just “way too far away,” particularly when our lives are overflowing with challenges. But Amulek taught that “this life is the time … to prepare to meet God. (Alma 34:32.)” It is not the time to receive all of our blessings.” She goes on to say, “I do not know why we have the many trials that we have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward, we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that was required?” We can’t fully comprehend the blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for us in the next life. However, we can get a small taste of those joyful blessings as we live the commandments and count our blessings that surround us. We can feel the love of our Heavenly Father and feel the power of the Holy Ghost bless and comfort us in times of trials and heartache. What a blessing that is for us! "Forget yourself and go to work,” as President Hinckley's father has reminded us, our lives and our marriages will be blessed.