In readings that I have done this in the book, "Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage" by Wallace Goddard there is a quote from one of the chapters that I just feel in love with and have already shared with a number of people. "The Natural Man is inclined to love himself and fix others. God has asked us to do the opposite. We are to fix ourselves by repenting, and to love others." This is such a small sentence but it bring so much clarity into our lives on our actions and how we treat others as well as ourselves. We live in a world that is continually pushing us to look at what makes "us" happy and we should first look out for ourselves and then when we are satisfied and happy that is when that is taken care of then we can help other people. That is exactly how Satan wants us to be with our family's and our relationships. He wants us to think about ourselves before others and that is one of the easiest and biggest ways to disrupt the family or a marriage. Remember the first commandment. Love God and by doing so everything will fall into place when you put Him first!

I recently read a story written by, Martha Arnell called "Fishing in Alaska" it was about her experience with her husband who is a major outdoorsy guy that loves to fish and hunt. Well  her husband got an opportunity to take a trip to Alaska which is like the Disneyland of outdoors and he wanted her to go with. This was definitely not her cup of tea but she wanted to support her husband in the things that he was passionate about and loved. The story goes on and explains a few things that happened on their trip but what I want to point out or talk about is the point of supporting out spouses or even those that we love in their activities and the things that are meaningful to them. When the person that we are with has likes or activities that are different from our own it doesn't mean that the relationship is doomed to faith it just means that we both need to support the other in their hobbies whether that means being a cheerleader or join in on the activity. By doing so you are showing that they are important to you and that you are willing to invest in that relationship by giving of your time even if it is not your first choice in what you would like to be doing. Love is an action word and giving of your time for another is definitely showing that! We all need to show our love, not just say those words!

In reading the Book, "Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage" in one of the chapters a quote is shared by President Ezra Taft Benson, " when we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives." This is a pretty profound and bold statement, but it is also one that I agree with. I don't know if we realize how often God gets put on the back burner in our lives. It is not as if we cut Him from our lives or stopped believing in Him or even being good Christians but how often do other things take priority? How often do we run out of time during the day to read scriptures, to we make the time both in the morning and at night when we go to bed to get on our knees and actually talk with our Father in Heaven? Do everyday stresses with school or work or kids or bills or friends or callings and our annoying neighbor take the space of the majority of our thoughts? It doesn't have to be some big action or choice to put God in the backseat, sometimes it just happens without us even realizing it because we are just trying to get through everyday life. But I promise when you do make the time and when you make a daily effort of remembering Him and allowing Him to be apart of your life, those challenges and those stresses that come whether we are married or single or divorced or even widowed, that peace and strength will come!

Growing up and being a part of the LDS church marriage in a topic that is constantly taught about or you find yourself in conversation about with a verity of people. Everyone has their opinions or their stories to tell. Even if you are not married there is something on this topic that you can share. But with all that information and all those opinions it is hard some times to know who is right or at least know what advice is better. In my reading on marriage this week one quote that has stuck out to me profoundly is, "Marriage is God's Finishing School." (Goddard, 2007.) This quote was a bit of an eye opener for me. I don't know if it is because of all the Disney movies that I grew up watching or the fact that Hollywood does a fantastic job of making love and marriage seem like bliss. But I did not fully understand how something so wonderful and a natural to us can be the hardest thing that we will ever do, but as I have spent some time dating I can start to see how that is true. What is important to remember though is the pay off! Yes marriage is a challenge and a struggle and can be very stressful at times but what it gives in return just does not compare.

 

Goddard, H. Wallace. Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage. Fairfax: Meridian Publishing, 2007. Print.