“We cannot steal the fire of love from Heaven. We must buy it with soul-stretching payments” – Goddard

I came across the quote above while reading “Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage” by Wallace Goddard and it really stuck out to me. It made me stop and think….

·      What is the fire of love?

·      How do we buy it?

·      What qualifies as a soul-stretching payment?

I think the “fire of love from Heaven” represents our eternal salvation. It is pure like anything that has passed through the extreme scorch of fire. No impurities can withstand the test of fire just like no impure thing can live in the presenc

e of God. We must be born of fire and cleansed of our faults and impurities before ascending into Heaven.

Love represents the unconditional love of Christ and our Father in Heaven. They love each of us so perfectly and want us to succeed. So we must be pure in heart and have the pure love of Christ within us to obtain glory in Heaven. Having a pure heart means putting all your selfish desires and wants aside and submitting wholly to the will of the Lord.

The part of the quote that reads “soul-stretching payments” can mean a variety of different things. Personally I translate to mean the trials we pass through in this earthly existence. Our life here on earth is not meant to be easy, it is a test and tests are designed to be difficult. Heavenly Father wants to see if we will follow Christ or fall on our knees and submit to the temptations of the devil. Our payments are each and every act that proves our obedience to God. When we choose to follow Him we are investing in our eternal salvation.

What sorts of  “soul-stretching payments” do we have to pay regarding marriage?

When we're dating things are lighthearted and easy. Things flow and there is a low amount of tension with a high amount of enjoyment. However, once the dating stage is over and the eternal knot is tied, things get a lot more real. Real fast. We realize there is much more required of us in marriage than there was in the dating. Many people think marriage is just an extension of dating and will continue to be fun and easy. These false ideas can ruin any marriage relationship if not dealt with. The leading cause of divorce is false expectations. It’s hard to go from a life of living on your own to living with a partner. Things change, you have different ways of doing things and compromise isn’t an easy tool to learn. Goddard said, “God knows that what we obtain too easily we esteem too lightly. In His own words, “All those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified” (D&C 101:5). To become heavenly, we must endure earthy challenges – including the unexpected ones in marriage.”

“The willingness to put our preferences on the altar in obedience to God and service of our partner is a sacrifice filled with grace and truth – goodness and eternal vision. Our sacrifices are the key to our growth and eternal possibilities.” – Goddard

Putting our wants on the altar before God and our spouse isn't as easy as it sounds. It requires self-discipline and want to be better. One must have a deep-rooted desire to make things work, especially in times of trial. It’s hard not to fight back when you feel attacked or defensive. It takes time and a lot of work to develop Christlike attributes. We need to focus on doing all we can to stay close to our Savior and learn from His example.