Unity Within Marriage

Unity in marriage is essential. There can be extreme stress when one there is not unity in marriages. To increase the ability to be one in marriage there are several things that should be considered. Spencer W. Kimball has taught four principles that should be followed to create unity. The four principles are as follows: choose a partner who is close to perfection in the things that matter most, be unselfish, continue growing your love for your spouse, and keep the commandments. When these four principles are followed, then unity is more likely to be achieved. 

No one is perfect, and expecting your partner to be perfect is the recipe for disaster. However, looking for someone who is close to perfection in the things that matter most to you will provide the unity and strength that you will need in marriage. To find the person that is close to perfect in the things that matter most to you means that you have to know what matters most to you. Those things could be characteristics or attributes, or how they do different things. Like for example, my sister needs someone who is clean and organized. But for someone else they might just need them to be honest, loyal, and compassionate. Each person is different in the things they need to grow and do well in life. 

Unselfishness is also key to a successful marriage. When one is selfish there is typically extreme hurt that occurs. And marriages fail. The best way to not be selfish is to look for ways to serve and help your spouse. Be willing to put aside what you are doing for the greater good. Like the exchange that Frozone and his wife had in the Pixar film, The Incredibles. “It’s for the greater good! I am your wife! I am the greatest good you’re ever gonna get”. Be observant and notice what they are needing. 

Another incredibly essential principle is to continue courting and finding ways to show affection to keep love growing. Just because you’ve tied the knot, doesn’t mean that life is going to be easy from now on. In fact, getting to marriage is the easy part, afterwards is the harder part. Keep getting to know your spouse. Find small ways to bring your spouse joy and make them smile. If you don’t put forth effort to continually get to know your spouse, then your marriage will fail. 

The final principle that Spencer W. Kimball spoke on was that we need to keep the commandments. We need to put God first in everything. Including our marriage. Putting God first shows Him that we love Him and prioritize Him first. We will be blessed for putting God first. Things in our lives will fall into place as we do so. Placing God first in our lives also helps us see life from an eternal perspective. Life may not always make sense, but when we are able to look at the challenges and hardships that we have, we are able to somewhat see the end result or at least the purpose behind the trial. 

As we learn and apply the four principles that Spencer W. Kimball spoke on, we are better able to love and support our spouse. Unity is then able to be achieved, and peace will follow. When there is peace in the home, the spirit can dwell with us. We need the spirit in every moment, so if there is not unity, the spirit cannot dwell with us, and that can lead to many problems and issues. Choosing a partner who is close to perfection in the things that matter most, being unselfish, continuing to grow your love for your spouse, and keeping the commandments are the best ways to find unity in marriages.