FPP: Marriage Preparation

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to write a blog post for one of my classes. Every week, I will be blogging on the subject that we are discussing in class.

These are the things we did before we got married :)

This week we talked about marriage preparation and incorporating continued courtship during marriage. We read several talks. If you have the opportunity, I will recommend you read the talk by Elder Marvin J. Ashton called “Becoming a Quality Person Now”. It is really short and won’t take more than 7 minutes to read it. It was a very powerful talk about becoming the type of person that we would like to be and our relationship with Heavenly Father. 

In class we had the discussion of why dating is on the decline these days and why people are getting married later in their lives, especially in our LDS community. “Hanging out” has a lot to do with this. There is a huge difference between hanging out and dating. In dating you get to know a person. You get to see their reactions, you get to hear them express themselves, and you get to learn more about them.

Dating shouldn’t stop after you get married. Courtship is very important in marriage. Elder Lance B. Wickman said, “Courtship is a time for two people to get acquainted. It is a time to get to know someone, his or her interests, habits, and perspective on life and the gospel. It is a time to share ambitions and dreams, hopes and fears. It is a time to test someone’s commitment to gospel living.” After an individual gets married, priorities change and courtship allows those new dreams and perspectives in life that you have to be spoken of. Courtship is a time where spouses can communicate their new dreams and desires. Courtship is not sitting in front of the TV and watching a movie. It is more than that. I know that we have fallen into that trap, but it is so much better to courtship each other with no distractions.

Today we live in the age of finding our “soul mate”.  We believe in super relationships that are effortless with no conflicts filled with romantic intimacy and emotional togetherness. But as we all know marriage is not that easy. It requires “work, patience, personal growth, compromise, commitment, and sacrifice.” I love what President Kimball said, “Soul mates are fiction and illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.”

Many of us have unrealistic expectations of our soul mate. We have to let those go and become the quality person that we would want our future spouse or current spouse to be. As President Kimball said we have to be willing to pay the price to have a happy and successful marriage.

Well… That is all for this week. Sorry if I have spelling errors. I hope you all have a great weekend. 

These are the things we do now...