President Dieter F. Uchtdorf urged priesthood members of the LDS Church to save their marriages and their families amidst a world obsessed with disposable materials.
In his remarks in the priesthood session of the 186th Annual General Conference, the second counselor of the First Presidency encouraged men to remain steadfast and faithful.
He remarked on the powerful experience of sealing many couples for eternity in the temple, reflecting on the bright dreams and romantic love of these couples in front of the altar.
“Somehow, as the days multiply and the color of romantic love changes, there are some who slowly stop thinking of each other’s happiness and start noticing the little faults,” warned President Uchtdorf. He followed by urging men to choose “the safe path of integrity and loyalty” rather than forever dreaming of the perfect woman.
“My beloved brethren, may I remind you, if there was a perfect woman, do you really think she would be interested in you?” President Uchtdorf deadpanned to laughter from the conference hall.
He asked the men to be happy and to do all they could to make their wives happy as well. “Those who save their marriages, choose happiness,” President Uchtdorf said.
He further acknowledged that every family has moments of awkwardness, like being asked by your parents to take a “selfie of them” or being forced to dress up as Chewbacca in a movie-themed family portrait.
Following these lighthearted remarks, he refocused on the central doctrine of charity. “Whatever problems your family is facing — whatever you must do to solve them — the beginning and the end of the solution is charity, the pure love of Christ,” President Uchtdorf said. “Without this love, even seemingly perfect families struggle. With it, even families with great challenges succeed.”
He then pleaded with the men of the church to let mercy rule in their hearts and to set aside pride.
“Build bridges; don’t destroy them,” President Uchtdorf said. “Even when you are not at fault — perhaps especially when you are not at fault — let love conquer pride.”
President Uchtdorf concluded his remarks by reminding the men of their ultimate example of love, noting that Jesus Christ won “our souls with love.” He admonished the men of the priesthood to seek that same love for the well-being of others.
See a summary of The Daily Universe’s coverage of the April 2016 LDS General Conference.
