Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife Sister Susan Bednar spoke at a special devotional meeting focused on marriage last night in Sydney.
Joining Elder and Sister Bednar were Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Pacific Area President of the Church, Sister June Pearson, and local Church leaders.
Elder Bednar told those in attendance that “the best question to ask in a relationship is, ‘Lord is it I?’ — meaning ‘Am I the one who needs to change?'"
“Divinely defined differences between a man and a woman in a marriage is the ultimate laboratory to become a disciple of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“The Lord’s plan is that we are to have joy in those differences and find joy from them.”
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Elder Bednar added, “Multi-generational families in the Church are essential. If we don’t have them then every generation in the Church is brand new. Most likely to interrupt that cycle is a lack of gospel learning in the home. Learn the gospel and then teach it to your families. Teach them to honour their covenants and live faithfully.”
Elder Kevin W. Pearson explained the reason for the devotional. “This year is the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Family: ‘A Proclamation to the World.
This proclamation was issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church at the General Relief Society Meeting held on 23 September 1995.
“Who knew in 1995 that the institution of marriage would be under attack from every possible direction,” he said.
Sister Susan Bednar challenged those attending the meeting to look within themselves. “Changing another person is a really hard thing to do,” she said. “And most people don’t respond well to criticism.”
“Start with compliments and appreciating who they are,” she continued. “Our divine differences work together for our good.”
“If Christ is at the top of everything we do, many of the frustrations that we experience with one another don’t seem to matter so much anymore. They’re all put back into perspective and can be overlooked and forgiven.”
The majority of the meeting was conducted in a question and answer forum, giving individuals in the congregation the opportunity to ask questions of Elder Bednar. He responded to some questions himself but also invited others sitting on the stand to make comments.
The meeting was held on Saturday 21 February in the Latter-day Saints’ Baulkham Hills stake centre in Sydney.
Read an article written by Elder Bednar: “Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan.”
Watch a video about what the Church teaches regarding home and family.