A Heavenly Sacrifice

Throughout my life I have overheard women complain about their husbands and men about their wives. How their spouse nags them or doesn't do enough around the house. How their spouse works too much or doesn't seem to work enough. No matter where you go, I feel that you be able to find someone who complains about their spouse.
This week I found myself wondering why this is so.
After studying this idea this week I feel that I have come to a conclusion. It is because there is one who fights to destroy all happiness. One who doesn't have the opportunity to be married. One who will never have a family or a spouse of their own. One who is attacking us daily so that we may break or fall. And that person is Satan.
Marriage is challenging. It is full of sacrifice and hard work. Upon getting married you are to share money, time, food, space, and even your own body. Even when you love someone more than you have ever loved anything before, it can still be a difficult adjustment. You go from one, to two and it can be overwhelming.
I read a story about a man who asks his two friends to design him half of a house. He didn't give them any plans and let them do it to their liking. In time the friends finish their halves of the house and they turned out great, but they both were extremely different. The two halves don't match. The doors, rooms, windows, electrical and pluming don't line up.
This story is very applicable to marriage. Going into marriage we are two different people who have been raised in two different ways. Two people may come together thinking that they will fit perfectly, but there will always be differences. Cleaning, parenting, loving, and basic living styles will be different.
This is where accommodation and tolerance come in. There will need to be some adjustments made in order to enjoy marriage. Just as the two sides of the house will need some work and adjusting to become a home. Some of these adjustments may take time to work out. There will be things that both partners will need to sacrifice. Marriage is something that is worked on over time and will require some effort by both individuals.
I am not talking about the kind of sacrifice where you give in or give up. I am talking about a little different sacrifice, a God-like sacrifice. A sacrifice where you become aware that others needs may be more important than that of your own. One where you feel compassion and love for another person so much that it hurts you when they are hurting. Heavenly sacrifice is a huge component of a successful marriage.
Brigham Young once said, "I have heard a great many tell about what they have suffered for Christ's sake. I am happy to say I never had occasion to. I have enjoyed a great deal, but so far as suffering goes I have compared it to a great many times..... to a man wearing an old, worn out, tattered and dirty coat, and somebody comes along and gives him one that is new, whole and beautiful. This is the comparison I draw when I think of what I have suffered for the Gospel's sake. I have thrown away an old coat and have put on a new one. No man or woman ever heart me tell about suffering."
In marriage we too are putting on a new coat. We make a commitment to not be selfish and progress through life with a partner.
When we go back to the idea of husbands and wives complaining about their spouses I think of the sacrifices we make for each other. The world is surrounded by people who take their husband and wives for granted. We can put each other down or even hurt each other.
Marriage is something to be enjoyed. It bring can bring light and happiness into our lives. As husbands and wives we should make the commitment to make heavenly sacrifices for our spouses. It will bring God into our relationships and help us become the best we can be. It will take time for us to make adjustments, but as we put on the new coat of marriage it will bring new adventures and joy into our homes.