Eternal Marriage (W04)


               Marriage is such a special and sacred unity and can bring the opportunity for many blessings. However, it has been confused and redefined so much lately. God has created marriage to be between a man and a woman. This is because men and women have been created with different divine characteristics that can help to build one another. A man and a woman can teach each other, grow together, and uplift one another.
                In the talk “Covenant Marriage” by Elder Bruce C. Hafen it states, “Marriage is by nature a covenant, not just a private contract one may cancel at will.” When times of hardship and trial come up in a marriage, so many people resort to a divorce. They think that is the best option for the family when times get tough. Divorce should not be the first resort we fall to when the marriage gets hard, in fact, it should be the very last resort after the couple has tried everything in their power to save their marriage.
                In the same talk, Elder Hafen also stated, “Covenant marriage requires a total leap of faith: they must keep their covenants without knowing what risks that may require of them. They must surrender unconditionally, obeying God and sacrificing for each other.” I absolutely love this quote because marriage is all about sacrifice. When a person decides to get married, they are choosing and committing to loving that person through everything, even when they don’t know what will arise in the future. A marriage takes a lot of sacrifice for both people. However, if a person is willing to contribute all their efforts, it can be worth all the sacrifices made.
                I have seen multiple divorces in my family, and I have seen multiple successful marriages as well. It is hard to watch two people I admire greatly give up on their marriage so quickly when they could have done so many things to fix it. Those that I know who have stayed married and have made it successful don’t have a perfect marriage. I watch them work hard at it and sacrifice so many things to make it work, but I see how happy they are despite those sacrifices that they make.
                A husband and wife are to work together as equal partners side by side. One should not be greater or powerful than the other. They both play equally important roles in making a marriage and family unit work well. Each may have different contributions to the family, but they are both needed. Successful marriages take a lot of work, communication, and sacrifice, especially when times get hard, but if a person is willing to work hard and not give up, then the marriage will have a lot of potential.

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