Balance of Responsibilities in Marriage

I couldn’t say it better than is stated in the seminary manual:

1 Corinthians 11:11. “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord”

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pointed out that men and women have equal but distinct roles:

“In our Heavenly Father’s great priesthood-endowed plan, men have the unique responsibility to administer the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood. Men and women have different but equally valued roles. Just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man, so a man cannot fully exercise the power of the priesthood to establish an eternal family without a woman. … In the eternal perspective, both the procreative power and the priesthood power are shared by husband and wife” (“This Is My Work and Glory,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 19).

The Family

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” outlines the God-given responsibilities of husbands and wives:

“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129).

President Howard W. Hunter taught an important lesson regarding the shared responsibility of men and women in governing the family:

“A man who holds the priesthood accepts his wife as a partner in the leadership of the home and family with full knowledge of and full participation in all decisions relating thereto. Of necessity there must be in the Church and in the home a presiding officer (see D&C 107:21). By divine appointment, the responsibility to preside in the home rests upon the priesthood holder (see Moses 4:22). The Lord intended that the wife be a helpmeet for man (meet means equal)—that is, a companion equal and necessary in full partnership. Presiding in righteousness necessitates a shared responsibility between husband and wife; together you act with knowledge and participation in all family matters. For a man to operate independent of or without regard to the feelings and counsel of his wife in governing the family is to exercise unrighteous dominion” (“Being a Righteous Husband and Father,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50–51.)

family-proclamation-to-worldpdf

I know that the statements above are true. Man and Woman are meant to be together, joined in the marriage covenant. Both have important gifts and responsibilities that contribute to the success of the family that they create. Marriage continues to be a huge blessing in my life.