Heaven was made for Duets... Not Solos.

I was recently asked to officiate at a wedding and provide marriage advice to an incredible couple. This was no ordinary couple. They had waited years to find each other, and danced and laughed and beamed on their way down the aisle. They were a beautiful duet of joy. Their happy love inspired the following... I hope it inspires you too... and helps your love be rooted in truth and joy.

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The author Arthur C. Brooks offered seven words for true happiness in life:

“Use things, love people, and worship God.”

Those who follow this advice surround themselves with friends and family who rejoice with them and - together - enjoy true love. This is because the love we share with each other is the sweetest of all. It is this type of love—love of others—that was made to last forever.

In life, when we love others, in time we ponder where our love comes from and we begin to look heavenward. We eventually realize that all love comes from God, the creator of life, the Father of Lights, the Lord of Love and Truth. When we put Him first, we gain even more love, and grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day - when we will we stand before Him, with those people we love, and who love us - and dance and sing, like we do in our hearts when we see those we love today.

In that spirit, I share three sweet truths about the harmonic dichotomy - the everlasting love - Christ offers us daily:

FIRST. The Symbol of the Trees: The first love came with Adam and Eve, in a heavenly garden surrounded by light and song. It was officiated by God himself. And just like that image of God marrying Adam and Eve in God’s garden, getting married is like two trees being transplanted into a garden next to each other—to help and strengthen each other.

The trees’ roots intertwine, their branches kiss, and their trunks reinforce each other. Individuals but one. A beautiful paradox. A harmony. A marriage.

From this marriage sprang all the children of the earth! Even you and me.

We start this same journey when we are married.

Our roots are our ancestors (seen and unseen), who are watching over us, rejoicing with us, loving us.

Our branches are where we will have fruit; they kiss and magically we have the flowers of children, and the angels born and to be born come and minister to our love like birds nesting in our leaves.

Our trunks remain our independent identity—so we can still be true to ourselves, two souls, but one flesh, joined by our roots and branches.

Thus, just like with Adam and Eve, when we are married, we are placed next to each other, in a Garden of Love. We too have the potential to be Individual but one. Unique but united.

Christ seeks to help us be Unique but United - Individual but One.

This divine arrangement - union - can bless us for the decades that will come. And trust me, they will pass quickly.

In that time, if you don’t let anything get between those trunks, between each of you, and let your love strengthen your roots as they intertwine, your leaves as they kiss, and your trunks grow and mature—you will be individual and united—and you will be happy, even when tragedy strikes.

Adam and Eve faced tragedies, starting with that sneaky snake. Knowing all good things must be tested, God put a wall of enmity to protect them from that snake: to protect their love from hate, and fear. Because there are enemies that wanted to destroy Adam and Eva's love - and there are enemies that want to destroy your love.

But these enemies are the most dangerous because they are devious. Each of you would crush them if they came directly at you or your loved ones—so they come from the side with poison in their mouths. Sneaky like that snake that first tricked Adam and Eve.

Worst of all, these enemies will try and trick you into believing that you are each other’s enemies. They will try and inject hate and fear to snuff out your love. And they will whisper that the wall of enmity God placed to protect you from the darkness (and from them!) should be used to protect you from each other.

Don’t buy that lie. Remember, you are always on the same team.

That brings us to sweet truth number two.

SECOND. The symbol of the ring: Like all good symbols, there are many layers to this.

The ring is a way to tie ourselves to each other. It shows our commitment to each other and to God. And it is a symbol of eternity—reminding us that if we obey God and keep His covenants, we will be together forever. Because of the promises we make in the temple, we can follow our Heavenly Parents in their eternal round, into the eternities. And we can be surrounded - forever - in their love and love for each other.

The circle is also the symbol of Heaven; God's eternal round. Like how the heavens circle around us on this earth, the ring circles around our hearts and hands to bind us to each other, to our children, and to God. This is why we keep our rings on—and wear them openly, to let them remind us to talk of our spouses with honor, reverence, and love—they also bind us to each other and the union we seek in God.

This is why we honor our spouses, for they have bound themselves to us, and as we speak of them, we are speaking of ourselves. And in doing so, we follow the pattern of matrimony established by God for Adam and Eve—our first earthly parents—in the Garden of Eden.

THREE: Our Heritage of Song: That brings me to truth number three: Song.

Christ is the Word. He turned darkness to light - with a word. He speaks to create. And as children of creators, we have inherited that same ability and are practicing it here - speaking to create light.

This is our divine heritage as children of God - to harness the power of thoughts and words. We are here to learn to turn darkness to light, sorrow to joy, pain into purpose. And we can overcome any tragedy, any difficulty, and grow closer if we keep our hearts soft and pure, with our hearts growing brighter and brighter like the cycle of the sun rising each day to cast out the darkness.

But we need to learn from Christ how to enjoy these powers of celestial physics. We need an instructor. So we practice this in how we talk to each other and how we talk to ourselves. We of course make mistakes along the way, but inside us is a song of hope and joy and love. And when we make mistakes, when we are injured, ache, or sorrow, or worse of all, when we injure each other - we take our wounds to Christ.

He alone can teach us the divine song of redeeming love. And as we hear it from him, we feel it resonating deep within us - calling to light the divine harmony of heaven. And we too begin to sing with our own hearts!

His song turns any sorrow into joy, any ash into beauty, any pain into strength. But He wants to teach us how to sing this song too - together. Because heaven was made for duets, and choirs of love - not solos.

His song reminds us that every experience is a gift. Every experience we have is meant to draw us closer to Him and to each of us, so we can find joy together. And resonate with love into the eternities.

Marriage is where God teaches us that divine dichotic dance - that eternal song of redeeming love. Marriage is the only place we can learn to find joy in reaching in darkness for light - together. It's the reconciliation of eternal paradoxes; atunement in Christ's at-one-ment! Marriage is where we learn to unite, reconcile and harmonize all dichotomies, and bring all things into one - hearts and minds, days and nights, male and female powers. Where we learn to harness opposition into harmonic resonance.

A sweet frequency only achieved with Him as our conductor.

This is why Heaven is meant for duets, not solos. Because Heaven is filled with those who sing their notes in harmony with others - loving God and others - as themselves. Christ's example of that love being our great example of surrendering to God's lessons in celestial harmony.

So, let Christ into your song. He is the master of all harmony. He sings the Song of Redeeming Love. He sings to us to teach us how to sing together with our hearts - pure and one. And as we let Christ add truth and light to our song, nothing will a couple from each other or from Him. In fact, He’ll teach us to build Heaven here on Earth with Him. And we will have more bounty and dance and song than we ever thought possible.

As we remember to sing our purpose together, unite our roots, watch our blossoms bloom, and wear our rings, and feel the weight and symbolism each day, we remember the power of our love for each other, and God’s love for us, and discover that with Him, nothing is impossible. And that love and truth will conquer all!

May you create this light together - forever.