So, it seems that I've had another interesting weekend. I've had quite a run of those lately, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact this past weekend, I was very privileged and blessed to have started dating this wonderful guy in my ward. He is one of the sweetest guys I know, and he knows just what to say to encourage me and build me up. I am sincerely grateful to have him in my life, and I look forward to the time we get to spend together. I don't know where this relationship will lead (we've only been dating for a grand total of five days) but we decided that we're both going to get what we can out of it, and, if all else fails, remain friends. So that's my good news for the day. :)

And now, sadly, back to reality. As I was reading the material for my Marriage Prep class last night, I came across this statement: "Roughly fifty percent of all marriages are projected to end in divorce." I had heard this statistic before, but it never ceases to amaze and sadden me because it means that each marriage has a fifty-fifty chance of working out. This creates a very unfortunate, albeit popular, mentality - the first marriage is a starter marriage; that is, they enter into their first marriage expecting it to fail. They divorce, planning to use the things they supposedly learned from that first marriage to "strengthen" their second, third, or even fourth marriages.  

To me, this mentality doesn't really make sense. If your marriage failed once, and you ran away from it, won't you be just as likely to do the same thing in future marriages? Just a thought.

Personally, I am a strong advocate of the couple remaining together and working through their problems rather than running away from them. I believe that as they work through their difficulties and their struggles, they will be brought closer together and strengthened. If a couple has worked through tough decisions and trials before, they know they can do it again, and will be more willing to try. 

I have said before that I grew up in a household where my parents obviously loved each other, and they were willing to work through trials together. Their marriage is strong enough now that I think that neither one could really get along without the other. This is the type of marriage that I want for myself and my future husband. I don't want to have the mentality that I can "escape" from my marriage whenever I want. Instead, I would rather work through the the struggles that will come with my husband, and thereby grow closer to him and the Lord. Drawing on a previous post, I want my marriage to be a Covenant marriage, not a Contractual one. 

In essence I don't want to even think about becoming one of the fifty percent.  

For more information on divorce and/or a covenant marriage, please visit www.lds.org.  

Tags: Divorce Marriage Family Class BYU

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