Cleave
unto thy Wife President Ezra Taft Benson
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 Thou
shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and
none else (D&C 42:22). To my knowledge there is only one other thing
in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts,
and that is God Himself. Think what that means! This kind of love can
be shown for your wives in so many ways. First and foremost, nothing
except God Himself takes priority over your wife in your life–not
work, not recreation, not hobbies. Your wife is your precious, eternal
helpmate–your companion. What does it mean to love some one with
all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and
with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your
heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or
abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions. What does it mean to
“cleave unto her”? It means to stay close to her, to be
loyal and faithful to her, to communicate with her, and to express your
love for her. Love means being sensitive to her feelings and needs.
She wants to be noticed and treasured. She wants to be told that you
view her as lovely and attractive and important to you. Love means putting
her welfare and self-esteem as a high priority in your life...Remember,
brethren, love can be nurtured and nourished by little tokens. Flowers
on special occasions are wonderful, but so is your willingness to help
with the dishes, change diapers, get up with a crying child in the night,
and leave the television or the newspaper to help with the dinner. Those
are the quiet ways we say “I love you” with our actions.
They bring rich dividends for such little effort. (President Ezra Taft Benson, CR, Oct. 1987, pp. 60-62) |
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