"Chose Your Love...Love Your Choice"

...The Christ centered relationship that should exist between a man and a woman...

I recently got the chance to go to a fireside for couples...
It was lovely...and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the man that gave it!
((so anyone that was there feel free to comment and tell me his name))

He asked questions that really had me thinking...
((I know, I know, that can be dangerous!))
He asked, "If you were Satan and you had thousands of years of practice, how would you destroy marriages in 2011?"...

Good question, no?!

Answers included: 'make couples too busy'...'financial problems such as debt'...'communication problems'...'convince us to doubt marriage'...etc...

He told us that we needed to be "defenders of marriage" and to live it so our children will see that marriage is an essential part of our happiness and part of our eternity!

That also had me thinking...
((lots and lots of thinking took place!))

I really want to be a defender of marriage!  I want my children to find not only find joy in their marriages but joy in mine!  I want them to see their parents fighting for the sanctity of marriage and to see their parents happy for living the commandments of the Lord!

He stated 3 principles to help build/believe in a good marriage:
(1)  COMMITMENT
     - We must be fiercely loyal to our spouses...
     - We must take the time to nurture our relationships...to make them grow...
     - We must pray for love to make weaknesses in our mate seem small...

*Side Note*  I recently reread in a book, "Love Dare", that patience is "giving your spouse permission to be human"!  How true that is!  We all long to be human and make mistakes, don't you think our spouses feel the same way?

     - We must cleave unto our spouse and non else but God...

*Another Side Note*  He asked what distracted us from our spouses...then to ask our spouse this question:  "Would it help you or our marriage if I give _________ (fill in the blank with your personal distraction) up?"...In my case it would be excessive FB use!  I'm sure that would help our marriage if I left that out!  Everything in moderation, ladies!

(2)  UPLIFTING COMMUNICATION
     -  Find ways to celebrate and make life a joyous experience...
     - "What we need is idealism tempered with realism"...
     - Want to learn and do not resent it...
     - Remember that "a soft answer turneth away wrath"...
     - When your spouse is longing for love and affection, do not keep it from him, freely give it!

(3) SEEK AND EXTEND FORGIVENESS
     - Not only forgive each other out loud but also in your hearts...
     - Control negative thoughts in your marriage...

*Side Note*  With that he said to not say or think things like, "My spouse always does that!" or "I'm not gonna do that because he doesn't do this!"...

*Yes, Another Side Note*  He also said that God gave us families to help us become who He wants us to be!  With our family, we get a chance to forgive and be forgiven every day.  We get a chance to show love and compassion and charity every day!  What a beautiful blessing...

He lastly reminded that in order to become an eternal marriage, we have to become an eternal people!  How will our children know what righteous men and women of God look like if we don't show them?  How will they know how to act and love if they don't learn it from us?  How will they agree with marriage and long for it and look forward to it if we can't show them it's the greatest blessing we've yet received?

I wish you all could have been there!  It was such an informative and uplifting fireside!  We can take that same advice and actually apply it to any and every relationship!  But I think that with our spouses is a good place to start!!

Till next week...