by Saint Mark (bio)
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call them "talks," but most (non)Christians call them sermons. This is a series of sermons that many Latter-day Saints love and believe. I hope these sermons promote and perfect your faith as they do mine. Read previous MMM Sermons or read this specific sermon here.
"When couples get married, their love is deep, and they joyfully anticipate the prospect of spending the eternities together. They enjoy having endless talks, going for long walks, and spending time together. It is a wonderful feeling being with someone you love so deeply.
Unfortunately, for many couples the bliss of deep love and immensely satisfying companionship that was present when they first got married doesn’t last. Long talks become replaced with frequent arguments, and when not spent fighting, their time together is characterized by angry silence."
I don't know about you but sometimes my relationship with my wife feels like the former paragraph, and at other times my marriage has the look of the latter paragraph. How do you and I help our marriage become more like the first paragraph and less like the second one?
I had a great friend who shared Repentance and Forgiveness in Marriage by Professor Rick Miller, who teaches in the School of Family Life at BYU, with me. The sermon was given at a BYU Devotional on January 19th, 2010. Professor Miller's words spoke to me about the roadblocks that were hindering my wife and my journey on the road to marital bliss. Don't get me wrong. My wife and I have a good marriage. But, we, as all couples, have impediments to becoming truly "one heart and one mind." Reading and applying this talk together, my wife and I removed some of those impediments.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks gives his "Amen" to Professor Miller's sentiments here.
What is your take on Prof. Miller's and Elder Oaks' words?
What is your take on Prof. Miller's and Elder Oaks' words?