Threats to Marriage

Marriage. The legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship (historically and in some jurisdictions specifically a union between a man and a woman). There are many people who agree with history, that marriage should be between a man and a woman. However, in this day and age there are also many people who don’t. I am going to put aside that argument and focus on why a traditional marriage is important to those in one.

Marriage can also be defined as a combination or mixture of elements. This definition isn’t speaking directly about how man and woman are bound together but has its applications. President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said that “There is great power in a strong partnership. True partners can achieve more than the sum of each acting alone. With true partners, one plus one is much more than two.” (Disciples of Jesus Christ—Defenders of Marriage). Marriage is not a happy ending, rather a happy beginning. In this life, we can’t be happy all of the time, and there are always going to be trials and tribulations. However, when we run into these instances in marriage we should not just give up, rather we should work together and focus on how we can get through rough times together. When this is done, you will be coming out the other end with a stronger relationship. Not working hard together and working our best to overcome trials, is a serious threat to marriage.

It is not an easy thing to be married, and if anyone has ever told you that it is, they are mistaken. It’s a lot of hard work, and there are many things that you will disagree on. But it is our job to keep our marriages happy, by being the best partner that we can be. President Nelson also said that “Sustainable improvements in any endeavor depend on collaboration and agreement. Great leaders and partners develop the skill of sharing insights and efforts and the pattern of building consensus. Great partners are completely loyal. They suppress personal ego in exchange for being part of creating something larger than themselves.” (Disciples of Jesus Christ—Defenders of Marriage). In marriage it’s more than a “me” and a “you”, you have to consider the “us”. A marriage can only work if both parties involved are focused on making the “us” work. Sometimes that is noticing that “I” was wrong or letting something the other person does that bothers us go, because you know that in the long run it’s not important.

Not only is it important to work together for just your relationship, but so that you can work together as parents. The Family: A Proclamation to the World states “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.” If a couple can’t work together as just a couple, they won’t be able to work together in a family. It is important that we focus on what is important and work together to establish a good family. Parents are supposed to work together to support families. In this day and age, we hear about how one parent needs to be the breadwinner and the other needs to be the full-time parent. I believe that this can be damaging, not only to the parents in parenting, but to the parents in their marriage. Parents need to work together in all aspects and come to a conclusion as to what works best for them to work best together. This is not easy to do, but if we work hard on our relationships, we can provide the best families and the best marriages in our lives.