• “The Bible celebrates sex and its proper use, presenting it as God-created, God-ordained, God-blessed. It makes plain that God himself implanted the physical magnetism between the sexes for two reasons: for the propagation of the human race, and for the expression of that kind of love between man and wife that makes for true oneness. His commandment to the first man and woman to be ‘one flesh’ was as important as his command to ‘be fruitful and multiply.’ ” (Spencer W. Kimball, Quoting Billy Graham, Ensign, May 1974, p. 7.)
• “Sex is for procreation and expression of love. It is the destiny of men and women to join together to make eternal family units. In the context of lawful marriage, the intimacy of sexual relations is right and divinely approved. There is nothing unholy or degrading about sexuality in itself, for by that means men and women join in a process of creation and in an expression of love.” (President Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 311)
• “Within the enduring covenant of marriage, the Lord permits husband and wife the expression of the sacred procreative powers in all their loveliness and beauty within the bounds He has set. One purpose of this private, sacred, intimate experience is to provide the physical bodies for the spirits Father in Heaven wants to experience mortality. Another reason for these powerful and beautiful feelings of love is to bind husband and wife together in loyalty, fidelity, considerations of each other, and common purpose.” (Elder Richard G. Scott, “Making the Right Choices,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 38.)
Although sexual desire is natural, it can also lead to temptation and sin. We have to safeguard our marriages in order to protect the sanctity of our sexual stewardship.
Some of the ways that my husband and I protect our marriage are:
• Talk to each other. About everything. Even when it’s something that makes us uncomfortable or upset. My husband often likes to start with, “promise you won’t laugh at me,” or “promise me you won’t get mad.” Although I often refuse to promise those in particular, I always promise to hear him out and to keep an open mind. This helps him feel comfortable being vulnerable with me.
• Say “I love you” often.
• Always come to each other first. When we have a problem, we don’t go to our parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, or anyone else. This ensures that our first loyalty is to each other.
• Never spend time alone with a non-family member who is of the opposite sex. If we have to meet someone without our spouse, we meet in a public place, or within a group setting. People often treat us like we’re old-fashioned, but it’s far too easy to become more intimate when you’re alone with someone else, and that can lead to emotional, if not physical, infidelity.
• Lots of time together. It’s hard to keep a relationship going if you don’t have time to talk, bond, work out problems, and have fun together. For us, the more we are around someone, the more comfortable we become with them. This is true with our marriage also.
• Time on computers and phones is done in common areas where everyone can see what is on the screen. No hiding, no secrets. This makes it much less likely that either of us will access things that we shouldn’t.
We are bombarded constantly with immoral portrayals of sex and sexuality, in a world that often encourages and condones the misuse of this sacred power. Those who understand God’s purposes need to stand up and speak out for marriage, and against premarital sex, infidelity, pornography, and any other practice that seeks to destroy the sexual stewardship that God has ordained to be employed only between a husband and a wife.
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