Happy Marriage

I’m no expert in photography, but I think having cell phones we each understand the basic of picture taking: focus

We all want our pictures to turn out looking good and to demonstrate what the point of the picture is all about: the focal point

If we could photograph marriage, we can see that many people view marriage with varying focal points.

However, there is only one focal point that leads to not only successful marriages, but eternally lasting and happy marriages.

“Jesus Christ is the focal point of a covenant marriage” as stated by Elder David A. Bednar of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ living and serving today.

What is a covenant marriage and how does it differ from a contract marriage?

Elder Bednar sums it up for us:

“Eternal marriage is not merely a temporary legal contract that can be terminated at any time for almost any reason. Rather, it is a sacred covenant with God that can be binding in time and throughout all eternity.”

Taken from a photography focused website, the author sums up the photography lesson in four points which I compare with Elder Bednar’s teachings of covenant marriage in quoted italics:

Let’s Compare Photography Focal Points with Marital Focal Points

1.  The focal point of your photo should be the most important subject in your frame.  "The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point in a covenant marriage relationship. The ultimate blessings of love and happiness are obtained through the covenant relationship of eternal marriage" (Bednar).
2. Use compositional techniques to help you place your subject in a powerful position and use other elements to frame it. "The importance of eternal marriage can be understood only within the context of the Father’s plan of happiness. Ultimate happiness, which is the very object of the Father’s plan, is received through the making and honoring of eternal marriage covenants" (Bednar).
3.  Use background and foreground blur as another technique to frame your focal point. The plan of happiness is revealed through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, with the background of our premortal existence with God and the foreground of our return to live with Him as eternal families.
4. This blur is controlled by aperture, focal length and relative distances in your scene.  "Satan desires that all men and women might be miserable like unto himself. …understanding the intent of an enemy is a key prerequisite to effective preparation. [Satan] works to warp the elements of the Father’s plan he hates the most. The devil has attempted to combine and legally validate confusion about gender and marriage" (Bednar).

  

One way to help us in our marriages is to remember, “Husbands and wives need time together to fortify themselves and their homes against the attacks of the adversary.”

•     Pray together.
•     Study Scriptures together.
•     Attend church and partake of the sacrament together.
•     Make sacred covenants together in the House of the Lord, temples of God.
•     Worship Jesus Christ together, to receive the Holy Ghost as your guide

Ponder this:

“As we consider the importance of our personal example, do you and I discern areas where we need to improve? Is the Holy Ghost inspiring our minds and softening our hearts and encouraging us to do and to become better? Are we focusing our efforts on strengthening marriage and the home?” (Elder Bednar)

None of us are experts, except our Heavenly Father, in a perfect marriage. Let each of us as individuals and as couples turn to Him for direction. He points our "cameras" towards Christ, giving us the opportunity to use our lens and focus on His Son. When we focus on Him, we will see peace in our lives.

Citations:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2006/06/marriage-is-essential-to-his-eternal-plan?lang=eng

https://thatssage.com/blog/focal-point-food-photography/