Week Twelve

Divorce and Remarriage

The law of entropy has been on my mind a lot this semester, and I believe that it applies poignantly to this issue. It is simply a law of nature that things naturally progress towards disorganization and disorder. Things that are not taken care of break down. This is probably the overarching theme that I have learned this semester. The natural man is an enemy to God, and also to families. The natural way of things does not promote healthy relationships. But that is usually the easy way, and the way commonly taken by people. I wonder how often it is the cause of divorce. To achieve healthy relationships, it takes a great deal of attention, care, and work. I am grateful for all of the tools that I have gained that will help me to combat entropy in my family life and other dear relationships.

The beautiful thing is that this law does not have the final say. We have been taught the principles upon which healthy families are formed. We are not here to fail in our relationships, and even if we have made mistakes in the past, we are not doomed. Many relationships that are currently unhappy have the opportunity to get better. A fascinating statistic is that of people who rated their marital happiness a 1 or a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, and were contemplating divorce, of those who stayed together, a high percentage rated their marriage a 4 or a 5, five years later. I think this demonstrates that there are ups and downs in most marriages, but that if you stick with it, those hard times have the ability to draw you closer together and ultimately bring you greater happiness. For those who do divorce, many are able to find happiness in remarriage. This, of course, does bring with it additional challenges, however. 

The wonderful theme is that marriage is ordained of God, and families are part of his divine plan. We are human, and will make mistakes, but the Atonement works for family life too. Regardless of the paths that we have taken in the past, we will be given all the help that we seek for in helping our families to progress toward eternity. 

I have learned so much this semester. I have come away with so much more confidence to face the challenges and decisions ahead of me. I know that I still don't have all of the answers. But one thing that gives me comfort, is the Proclamation on the Family. Somehow, most of the topics, if not the details, that we have covered in class are addressed by this inspired document and other inspired messages from our Church leaders.