Eternal Marriage

My friend Karen and I serve in the young women organization in our ward. A few weeks ago we were having a chat with some of the laurels about marriage. Karen told the girls that when they get married they will never think that this practically perfect young man can do anything wrong. Give it 2 weeks she says, and you'll smell and hear things that you didn't know a body could do. He'll leave his dirty socks all over the house and he'll forget to put the toilet seat down. He'll do things that drive you crazy. However, if you marry in the temple and keep your covenants none of that will matter. You'll be able to look past his imperfections and smells and see the possibilities that eternity will bring. 
What makes this view point different from a non temple marriage?  Both can be good right? The short answer is, yes, both can be good, if effort is put forth.
The biggest difference between a temple marriage and a non temple marriage is the covenant a couple makes with one another and with God, in the temple.
A temple marriage doesn't automatically guarantee happiness or forever. A couple has to work on their marriage and keep their covenants that they made to each other and to God.
In the November 1996 Ensign Elder Bruce C Hafen talks about having a covenant marriage. He says,

"Marriage is by nature a covenant, 

not just a private contract one may cancel at will. 

Jesus taught about contractual attitudes when he described the “hireling,” who performs his conditional promise of care only when he receives something in return. 

When the hireling “seeth the wolf coming,” he “leaveth the sheep, and fleeth... 

because he... careth not for the sheep.” By contrast, the Savior said,

“I am the good shepherd,... and I lay down my life for the sheep.” 

 Many people today marry as hirelings. And when the wolf comes, they flee. This idea is wrong."

It is a well know statistic that about 50% of marriages end in divorce. Is it because a couple sees trouble and decides that it is easier to flee than to fight?  Elder Hafen says:

 "When we observe the covenants we make at the altar of sacrifice, 

we discover hidden reservoirs of strength."

If we are to keep the covenants that we make in the temple, then we will have the strength to lift each other up. I watched a interview recently about marriage and what makes a marriage last. One woman in the interview said that sometimes her husband is the one holding her up and sometimes she is holding him up but mostly they hold each other up. Isn't that what it's about? We covenant to help one another, serve one another, and love one another. That is what the difference is.