I really loved reading about consecration in the marriage setting. Dr Goddard explained things so well in his book Drawing Heaven into your Marriage. Consecration means giving all of your time, talents, money, goals, aspirations, basically everything away in order gain a greater reward. I had only really thought about that in the context of the church until this week.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, our greatest goal is to be able to live with God and eventually to be like him. In order to live in God's kingdom we need to live like we are already there. The perfect place to practice a God-like life is in your home with your eternal companion. We have to practice turning away from pride, arrogance, selfishness, any other tendency we may have and in turn give everything we are to the one we love and to God.
Dr Goddard said this, "we are invited to dedicate our lives, our talents, our weekends, and our weaknesses to the sacred enterprise of sanctifying our marriages and ultimately perfecting our souls" (p.103). When we look at the big picture it's easy to see that we should sacrifice the small things now for the grand rewards later, but we all know that's easier said than done. I feel like we at least need to try and God will help us with the rest.
Like Dr Goddard, I know that through practice we will be able to gain an understanding of the promises we made when we got married and the sacred responsibility we have to our spouse. About his wife Nancy, Dr. Goddard said, "I promised God that I would be His partner in protecting, blessing, comforting, and saving Nancy's precious soul" (p. 105). What an incredible opportunity!
I know I'm still going to need a lot of practice to be able to completely consecrate myself to my marriage and to the Lord, but I'm trying. My husband and I had a really sweet conversation last night about this actually. We talked about how you know we always love each other, but sometimes we just get overwhelmed by how much we love each other. My husband pointed out that this usually occurs when we are serving one another. When I'm helping him after a long day of school is when I feel the most love for him. He said that when he makes dinner for me is when he feels the most love for me. How sweet is that. What a beautiful reminder that we are happiest when we have forgotten ourselves. I can really see the blessings of living a consecrated life and I hope to get better at it as time progresses.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, our greatest goal is to be able to live with God and eventually to be like him. In order to live in God's kingdom we need to live like we are already there. The perfect place to practice a God-like life is in your home with your eternal companion. We have to practice turning away from pride, arrogance, selfishness, any other tendency we may have and in turn give everything we are to the one we love and to God.Dr Goddard said this, "we are invited to dedicate our lives, our talents, our weekends, and our weaknesses to the sacred enterprise of sanctifying our marriages and ultimately perfecting our souls" (p.103). When we look at the big picture it's easy to see that we should sacrifice the small things now for the grand rewards later, but we all know that's easier said than done. I feel like we at least need to try and God will help us with the rest.
Like Dr Goddard, I know that through practice we will be able to gain an understanding of the promises we made when we got married and the sacred responsibility we have to our spouse. About his wife Nancy, Dr. Goddard said, "I promised God that I would be His partner in protecting, blessing, comforting, and saving Nancy's precious soul" (p. 105). What an incredible opportunity!
I know I'm still going to need a lot of practice to be able to completely consecrate myself to my marriage and to the Lord, but I'm trying. My husband and I had a really sweet conversation last night about this actually. We talked about how you know we always love each other, but sometimes we just get overwhelmed by how much we love each other. My husband pointed out that this usually occurs when we are serving one another. When I'm helping him after a long day of school is when I feel the most love for him. He said that when he makes dinner for me is when he feels the most love for me. How sweet is that. What a beautiful reminder that we are happiest when we have forgotten ourselves. I can really see the blessings of living a consecrated life and I hope to get better at it as time progresses.
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