President Uchtdorf’s talk on saving marriages and families is one of my absolute favorites from conference. I especially love his focus on the need to work and build our marriages up through daily acts of kindness and charity.

“Because no matter how flat your relationship may be at the present, if you keep adding pebbles of kindness, compassion, listening, sacrifice, understanding, and selflessness, eventually a mighty pyramid will begin to grow.

   If it appears to take forever, remember: happy marriages are meant to last forever! So ‘be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great [marriage]. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.'”

I also love that President Uchtdorf links this back to his masterful sermon on pride by emphasizing that pride is the downfall of relationships. On the other hand, charity is the remedy. The pure love of Christ is what heals all that ails us. When we learn to put our spouses needs before our own, something magical happens.

“Whatever problems your family is facing, whatever you must do to solve them, the beginning and the end of the solution is charity, the pure love of Christ. Without this love, even seemingly perfect families struggle. With it, even families with great challenges succeed.

   “Charity never faileth.”

 It is true for saving marriages! It is true for saving families!”

I am so imperfect at these principles. President Uchtdorf’s talk is really a call to repentance and to do better. His counsel is needed in our culture where marriage is not so valued. And even among members of the Church, these principles are so needed. I am grateful for his apostolic witness and his example.