I receive many e-mail updates from different groups, and one of them linked me to this article that I enjoyed reading. No, Jeff and I are not having marriage trouble, but I think that any good marriage can be made better (likewise with any bad marriage—it can be made better). That's just my disclaimer, so no need to worry folks. :)
Now the article does have a mainstream Christian outlook (to death do us part) instead of a Latter-day Saint Christian outlook (sealed for all time and eternity), but the points are very strong and applicable in all marriages.
The article is from Focus on the Family.
God's Design for Marriage
Find the key to making your marriage flourish — just as God designed.
It's easy to think that only "other people" get divorced. That your own marriage is somehow immune to heartache, infidelity and fights over who gets the house, the car, the dog. After all, how many of us would walk down the aisle if we believed our relationships would end up in divorce court?
Truth is, no relationship comes with a lifetime guarantee. Even men and women who grew up in stable homes, who attend church and consider themselves Christians, who promise "until death do us part," can have it all fall apart.
As Christians, we know that applying biblical principles to marriage will give us a stronger foundation than those of our unbelieving friends and neighbors. We know this, but what are we doing about it? In other words, what makes a marriage "Christian"?
According to author Gary Thomas, we're not asking the right questions. What if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?
Click here to read the rest of the article.
It is worrisome when people go into dating trying to find their soul mates rather than finding someone with whom they are willing to make the journey. Soul mates, I believe, are made not found. Only through years of experiencing joys, heartbreaks, and growth does someone become a soul mate.
I also agree that the most important relationship in a marriage in a person's relationship with God, because when that relationship is your focus, then your marriage relationship falls into place harmoniously.
I fully believe in the goodness of marriage counseling when you and your spouse encounter problems that you cannot solve alone. And I know that any marriage can succeed when both partners make it their top priority.
I know that the greatest happiness on earth can be found in a marriage, and while it is not always smooth sailing, the sacrifices you make in your marriage will pay out huge dividends of joy in the end.
This brings me to another point. I was going out with the missionaries and during an appointment a friend of an investigator of the church asked about our beliefs. She said she had been taught in a religion class at college that we believed (in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) that women could only make it to heaven with a man. She asked if that was true.
Of course it is true. Sadly though, her teacher never mentioned the other half of the truth: that man likewise can only make it to heaven with a woman.
And of course when we say "heaven" in this context, we are talking about the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, exaltation.
I thought it was very irresponsible of a professor to say something like that and leave out all of details and the other side of the equation.
Husbands and wives need each other.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about and would like to know more, here is a great resource for you: Click me!
On a side note: What a beautiful website we have that I've never seen before! Click here.
Now the article does have a mainstream Christian outlook (to death do us part) instead of a Latter-day Saint Christian outlook (sealed for all time and eternity), but the points are very strong and applicable in all marriages.
The article is from Focus on the Family.
God's Design for Marriage
Find the key to making your marriage flourish — just as God designed.
It's easy to think that only "other people" get divorced. That your own marriage is somehow immune to heartache, infidelity and fights over who gets the house, the car, the dog. After all, how many of us would walk down the aisle if we believed our relationships would end up in divorce court?
Truth is, no relationship comes with a lifetime guarantee. Even men and women who grew up in stable homes, who attend church and consider themselves Christians, who promise "until death do us part," can have it all fall apart.
As Christians, we know that applying biblical principles to marriage will give us a stronger foundation than those of our unbelieving friends and neighbors. We know this, but what are we doing about it? In other words, what makes a marriage "Christian"?
According to author Gary Thomas, we're not asking the right questions. What if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?
Click here to read the rest of the article.
It is worrisome when people go into dating trying to find their soul mates rather than finding someone with whom they are willing to make the journey. Soul mates, I believe, are made not found. Only through years of experiencing joys, heartbreaks, and growth does someone become a soul mate.
I also agree that the most important relationship in a marriage in a person's relationship with God, because when that relationship is your focus, then your marriage relationship falls into place harmoniously.
I fully believe in the goodness of marriage counseling when you and your spouse encounter problems that you cannot solve alone. And I know that any marriage can succeed when both partners make it their top priority.
I know that the greatest happiness on earth can be found in a marriage, and while it is not always smooth sailing, the sacrifices you make in your marriage will pay out huge dividends of joy in the end.
This brings me to another point. I was going out with the missionaries and during an appointment a friend of an investigator of the church asked about our beliefs. She said she had been taught in a religion class at college that we believed (in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) that women could only make it to heaven with a man. She asked if that was true.
Of course it is true. Sadly though, her teacher never mentioned the other half of the truth: that man likewise can only make it to heaven with a woman.
And of course when we say "heaven" in this context, we are talking about the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, exaltation.
I thought it was very irresponsible of a professor to say something like that and leave out all of details and the other side of the equation.
Husbands and wives need each other.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about and would like to know more, here is a great resource for you: Click me!
On a side note: What a beautiful website we have that I've never seen before! Click here.
That was an interesting article. We had a lesson last week in church about marriage, and we talked about a lot of the things he mentions in his article.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great website, the one you have the link to at the bottom.