On August 24, his 85th birthday, Elder Robert D. Hales shared a beautiful video on Facebook, sharing this message:
Last general conference, I discussed how disciples of Jesus Christ live so that His characteristics are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry. These attributes are interwoven characteristics, added one to another, which develop in us in interactive ways. In other words, we cannot obtain one Christlike characteristic without also obtaining and influencing others. As one characteristic becomes strong, so do many more.
Everyone can be a disciple of the Savior. I invite you to begin today to strive to be a more dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. As you do so, the characteristics of the Savior will be interwoven, added upon, and interactively strengthened in you.
Among the attributes of Christ we try to develop is love, another message Elder Hales shared with us this week. When speaking of developing love in your marriage, Elder Hales said:
When Sister Hales and I were married, Elder Harold B. Lee gave me some beautiful advice about marriage:
“Bring home flowers often enough that your wife doesn’t say, ‘What’s the matter?’ Court your dear wife in the same manner you did to bring her to the temple,” Elder Lee counseled, “so that when you leave this life, she will want to be with you for time and all eternity.” That was a great lesson for me.
To have that love throughout our married life on earth, we need to keep it alive by feeding it every day. This is the way our marriage progresses from being merely performed in the temple to actually becoming celestial in nature.