“Polishing My Wedding Ring,” Liahona, Nov. 2001, 45
Polishing My Wedding Ring
As my future wife and I prepared for marriage, we began looking for wedding rings that would symbolize our union. None we looked at seemed right until we decided to wear CTR rings. These rings, we believed, would remind us always to choose the right and to raise our family in righteousness.
One day, shortly before our marriage, I noticed my ring had lost its luster. I asked several people what to do and was told to polish it with substances like toothpaste, fine cotton, and grease. I tried them all. Nothing worked. I finally gave up, even though the lost luster bothered me.
After we were married, life seemed to get more complicated. I became so busy with work and Church callings that my wife was left alone to do much of the work at home. Gradually, the joyful feeling in our home ebbed away. Unsure of the reason for the change or of how to resolve our concerns, we prayed for guidance.
In time, our first son was born. My wife spent a great deal of time caring for our son. I was grateful for all she was doing and decided that I would make hand washing the diapers my task.
Several weeks after I began washing the diapers, I was surprised to see that my wedding ring had regained its luster. It occurred to me that washing diapers every day had done what none of the recommended polishing techniques could do.
It also occurred to me that since I had been so busy with duties outside my home, I had failed to fulfill my most important duties as a husband and father. Like my ring, our marriage had lost its luster. But once I chose the right—as my ring suggested—and made my family my top priority, both began to shine once more.
Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann
Illustrations by Melissa Ricks