Marriage: "Choose thy Love, Love thy Choice"

It's 2:40 AM and sleep isn't my friend so I'm going to get some things off of my chest! You know how hard it is to witness a child being hurt physically? Whether it is gettting immunizations, a fall resulting in a painful injury, an illness that has to 'run it's course', it is excruciating for a parent to stand by. We would do all in our power to make the hurt go away. I'm telling you, it only gets more difficult to watch as our children grow and their bumps and bruises physically turn into deep gashes emotionally as they learn to navigate marriage. I remember that one of my worst fears as a child was that my parents would get divorced. Thankfully, they kept their committments to each other. I also remember thinking in my early marriage that "I could do just as well on my own" and "who needs this frustration". Lies that if I would have kept feeding, would have most surely turned into action resulting in sorrow, loneliness, regret and pain. I learned to shut those thoughts out and concentrate instead on the good things. If you give no place for the "d" word in your thoughts then your natural choice is to hang in there and see things through. I don't entertain thoughts of my own divorce anymore. I feel like I got the best of the deal by far. What I do get concerned about is seeing gashes in the marriages of the people I love most. In my service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am sad to witness irreparable damage to once-blossoming relationships. Every marriage has it's challenges which can make a marriage stronger but I want to make something very clear, in almost every case, divorce isn't an option! "Cease to be angry," (President Hinckley) 'Choose thy love, love thy choice'. 'The only reason for raising your voice to your spouse is if the house is on fire.'(President Benson?)The scriptures are replete with revelation on the sanctity of marriage. There is a myth about marriage and it is that couples love each other all the time in the same intensity. Not true. It's not meant to be the hormon-crazed, thrill-a-second relationship we experienced when we were dating. We get to settle in and take care of deeper needs. Marriage relationships gets richer and more fulfilling as we adjust and work through difficulties. "I just don't love you anymore" has no place whatsoever in words and thoughts. You loved once, banish the thought and get down to loving again! Now you may be speculating 'who' and 'what', but this isn't meant for anyone specifically, but for all, including myself, as a loving reminder. We all get to experience ups and downs in our most critical and eternally important relationships. So I plead, choose love, have the spirit of peace and happpiness in your homes where all things grow and flourish.