Don't Throw Marriage Away

This week in Family 300 we learned about the declining rates of marriage and increasing rates of divorce in America.  Studies have shown that children in single parent homes and divorced homes are more likely to experience problems both emotional, physical, and financial due to the situation of their home life.  It is important to take heed from the prophets on the importance of family life, and that marriage between a father and mother are ideal for children.

A quote that stood out to me during our readings was from the talk “Divorce,” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks.

“Even those who think their spouse is entirely to blame should not act hastily. One study found ‘no evidence that divorce or separation typically made adults happier than staying in an unhappy marriage. Two out of three unhappily married adults who avoided divorce reported being happily married five years later.’  A woman who persisted in an intolerable marriage for many years until the children were raised explained: ‘There were three parties to our marriage—my husband and I and the Lord. I told myself that if two of us could hang in there, we could hold it together.’”

I think that in this generation we are so used to throwing things away and replacing them with brand new items as a solutions.  For instance, every year a new iPhone model comes out and our old iPhone 4 is thrown away for a better, newer model.  We are the generation that throws things away whenever there is the slightest problem.  However, the quote above reminds us that marriage is not to be taken lightly and cannot be treated as such.  Marriage is a solemn covenant between husband, wife, and God.  We should not run at the first problem or fight.  We need to stick in it for the long haul, and when things are tough we can find hope that things will get better in a few years and that with God’s help through the Atonement, marriages can heal.

Marriage is not for the faint of heart, but for those who stick through the tough times it has the greatest and sweetest rewards.