Temple Sealing & Civil Marriage: An Interesting Perspective

[Anonymous]

My son was sealed to his finance last Thursday, and I was gone for most of last week and the weekend attending the sealing and the subsequent ring ceremony for our daughter-in-law’s family and my sons’ (plural) and her friends. It was wonderful to be part of all of that, especially since I got to “conduct” the ring ceremony, but I want to share one thing my new daughter-in-law said after it was all done.

She is a convert to the LDS Church, so she grew up with the idea of wedding as a production. Obviously, she cut back greatly on the scope of what she would have done without the temple sealing, but, even so, she told us at the end of the ring ceremony and the reception afterward:

Quote:

I really love the simplicity of the temple sealing. I had talked extensively with you about what it would be like, so I wasn’t freaked out about anything. It was so peaceful and almost devoid of stress (to which she is prone naturally), unlike the ring ceremony and everything associated with it. Everything else nearly drove me crazy, but the sealing was my refuge from all that craziness.

I just thought I would share a perspective I hadn’t considered previously, knowing a large part of the difference between her experience and that of many others was the fact that we took the time to explain in great detail exactly what she would experience in the endowment (which she did the week before the sealing) and the sealing itself.

[Anonymous]

Curtis wrote:

the difference between her experience and that of many others was the fact that we took the time to explain in great detail exactly what she would experience in the endowment (which she did the week before the sealing) and the sealing itself.

This is the key. I did the same for all my children. My wife and I sat them down, and explained everything in the temple, exactly as it would happen. The only thing I did not tell them was the couple of items I explicitly promised not to divulge (signs, tokens). But I told them they would be receiving them, and how they would do it. We talked about the movie, and how it was symbolic of the creation. We showed them all of the temple clothes. There was no surprises for them. We had a real “Temple Prep Class”

[Anonymous]

I appreciate this post, Ray. Thank you.

[Author]

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