“What difference does a temple marriage make in this life?”

As individuals prepare for temple marriage, they are taught early in life the standards of worthiness that are prerequisite for entering a temple. Through the growing years, the dating years, and the courtship period, the determination to qualify for temple marriage serves as a motivation to protect virtue and to avoid any improper use of the sacred power of creation. With eyes fixed on the temple, it is easier to make decisions to live a higher standard than that accepted by the world. Young men and women accept full Church participation as a norm. Young men are taught that part of their preparation for temple marriage includes full-time missionary service. Young ladies are taught to develop their domestic skills and to select a marriage partner from those who honor their priesthood.

Because of the seriousness of selecting an eternal companion, inspiration should and usually does become a part of the decision-making process. A couple preparing for eternal marriage ponder more seriously if their love is the right quality to establish a celestial union. Prior to marriage the couple have several opportunities to receive counsel and guidance from their parents, bishops, and stake presidents. The couple not only receive direction as to worthiness, but they also receive counsel on the importance of commencing a family, of raising a righteous posterity, and of establishing a priesthood-directed home.

In short, the couple who are preparing for temple marriage have opportunities for a more thorough preparation. Their goal is not only marriage, but also to receive the blessings of the temple and to lay the foundation for eternal association.

I cannot think of any better way to commence marriage than to have the assurance in your heart that your course of action has the approval of God. To be in the temple and to have that assurance provides a powerful foundation on which to establish the marriage relationship. Nothing surpasses the simple beauty of a sealing room. There a couple kneels, not as a bride and a groom, but as a son and a daughter of God who have made some solemn covenants of obedience and dedication. As the young lady is sealed to her husband, she has the assurance that he has pledged himself to walk in the ways of the Lord. The young man is impressed with the responsibility that is his to preside in righteousness. The couple appreciates that their union is not just with each other, but also with the Lord. Words cannot describe the feelings of joy and enlightenment that occur in the life of each properly-prepared couple that kneels at the altar. In this experience alone, temple marriage makes such a difference in this life.

The hope of eternal life with loved ones continues to be a rich source of joy and encouragement through the years. Parents who have had spiritual temple experiences will try to teach and to motivate their children toward those same blessings.

As challenges arise in married life, what comfort to recall the experiences and feelings associated with your own marriage! We are also promised continued assurances of hope and peace as we live according to our sacred covenants.

The opportunities to return to the temple, to witness other marriages, and to participate in endowment sessions all serve as restraints against yielding to the enticements and temptations of the adversary. The perspective of the temple helps one to keep his eyes fixed on eternity while trying to resolve the problems of mortal living.