Skip to main content

Marriage Trends and Divorce



Hey everybody!  This week we are talking about marriage and divorce.  In recent times, there has been a rise in divorce rates and a decline in marriage rates. The world sees the importance of marriage very differently than God sees it.  As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we understand the importance of marriage and the many blessings that it will bring to our lives.  

In my own life, I have known many people who have gotten a divorce but for many different reasons.  President Dallin H. Oaks in his article on Divorce shared that, “I strongly urge you and those who advise you to face up to the reality that for most marriage problems, the remedy is not divorce but repentance. Often the cause is not incompatibility but selfishness. The first step is not separation but reformation.” Many misunderstandings and arguments that happen among married couples are due to a lack in responsibility for one’s actions and/or poor communication.  It is important that we analyze our actions with the help of the Lord to ensure a lasting marriage.  The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ gives us the strength to overcome our shortcomings and seek for improvement.

However, President Oaks explains that not all cases can be saved by repentance and forgiveness.  He states, “We know that many of you are innocent victims—members whose former spouses persistently betrayed sacred covenants or abandoned or refused to perform marriage responsibilities for an extended period.”  There are many cases that involve horrible situations that must be terminated for the sake of one’s health and well-being. God wouldn’t want us to put ourselves through unnecessary heartache. 

President Kimball once stated, “ …only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.” This is something that I have thought about quite a bit.  I have come to the conclusion that the best way to raise a family is actively and intentionally.  I have already made family and couple goals related to the gospel and life in general.  I believe that as we are intentional with our family relationships, accept responsibility for our actions, ask forgiveness, and communicate clearly, we can have strong family relationships in this life, and in the life to come.

I highly recommend listening to the podcast called Rise Together with Rachel and Dave Hollis. In this podcast they explain and give you so many suggestions on how to communicate well, meet each other’s needs, set goals, and be intentional in your choices and actions.  This podcast has given me a new perspective on my relationships with others and I highly recommend that you give them a listen. 
What trends have you noticed in your family?  What do you think creates and maintains strong and healthy marital relationships? Do you have any tools that have helped you or a family member maintain a healthy marital relationship?

Podcast link: https://www.risetogetherpodcast.com/

Image result for dave and rachel hollis rise together

References:
https://www.risetogetherpodcast.com/

Oaks, D. H. (n.d.). Divorce. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2007/05/divorce?lang=eng.

Spencer W. KimballPresident of the Church. (n.d.). Families Can Be Eternal. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1980/10/families-can-be-eternal?lang=eng.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Divorce

This last blog post is on divorce.   This is a rough topic for many families and can be a very sensitive subject.   There are so many reasons why someone would divorce.   For example, reasons could include things such as abuse (physical or emotional), adultery, addiction (of any kind), and abandonment (either physical or emotional).   Whatever the reason, this can be a shattering experience for everyone in the family.   There are three kinds of divorce: 1.        Legal divorce 2.        Economic divorce 3.        Parental divorce Legal divorce is settled by the courts and the marriage is dissolved officially by law.   The second kind, economic divorce is when you separate your things.   This could include finances (you separate bank accounts), property, etc.   The last one is parental divorce where the parents split. Often times if a family that is involved in divorce has children, it leads to joint custody.   This is where they share both resources and physic
1 comment
Read more

Relationships with In-Laws

This week we are talking about the in-laws!!!  This is a topic that many people make jokes about and that many people struggle with.  So how do we create healthy relationships with our in-laws?  What boundaries should we set and how do we do that respectfully?  We are going to explore the answers to these in this post. When we get married, we have just covenanted to love and cleave unto our spouse and no one else.   In Genesis 2:24 it says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife.” The dictionary defines cleave as “to remain attached, devoted, or faithful to,” and “to remain steadfast”.   This is what is required of us when we marry someone. In “Creating Healthy Ties with In-Laws and Extended Family” by James M. Harper and Susanne Frost Olsen, they say that, “a newly married couple is to separate from the families in which they grew up. One component of separating from families of origin involves creating a marital identity.” (n.d.)  
Post a Comment
Read more

FAMILY 100-- Equal Partnership

This week I really wanted to focus on what it meant to have an equal partnership between men and women in families.   I believe that this concept is misrepresented with the views of the world.   There is a large movement in feminism, and it has created ripples throughout the world.   There is a fight for women to be “equal”.   They want the same roles, pay, duties, respect, and more.   They want to feel like they are the same as a man.   This idea is a little bit twisted.   Equal does not mean identical.   The Family Proclamation outlines the roles of men and women.   For men, it states that they must preside, provide, and protect.   For women, their main role is to nurture the children and teach them the gospel.   Does this mean that the roles don’t cross over? Of course not!!!   As equal partners, all duties are shared.   We must be willing to help fill any gaps in those roles if necessary, but that doesn’t mean that all of the sudden because both parents decide to work and pur
Post a Comment
Read more