Covenant Marriage

I liked reading the Ensign Article by Bruce C. Hafen. As I was preparing to be married and go through the temple, I thought that this really was a fairy tale ending! I had married my price and no more troubles were coming my way. We had made it to the temple and all was well :) 

I am not saying that we don't marry our happily every after, I am just saying maybe we should redefine "No more troubles" or "Happily Ever After" 

When we get married, it seems that Satan works on us even harder to try to break our families apart. But as we stick to our covenants, and the atonement of Jesus Christ, and most importantly our companion. . . WE HAVE SO MUCH IN STORE!!

My Happily Ever After consists of talking through hard situations but always keeping peace, going on date nights after a long hard work and school week to help one another, picking out a cool rental car while we decide what we are going to do after our car has been totaled! Keeping our covenants also, and going to the temple helps us to create our own personal happily ever after with our families. Covenants with our spouse in the temple is the new and everlasting covenant. In Doctrine and Covenants 131: 1-4 it talks about how we, in order to obtain the highest degree of glory need to get married in the temple and enter into that covenant. 

When we go about facing our trials and temptations in marriage we need to look and realize that we are in a covenant and not a contract. We can see how we treat our spouses and understand what we think we are in! Do a self evaluation, and think if you are more a hireling or a shepherd. In the article it compares a hireling and how when the hireling sees the wolf coming he will leave the sheep, but the shepherd will stay and lay down its life because it cares and wont drop the contract at will. 

I want to be a hireling in my marriage, and have my husband know that I will always work and do things to help our marriage succeed. 

What are some ways that we can show that we truly are living in a covenant marriage and not a contract marriage?