Build A River Of Water For Your Marriage And Family Giving Them A Constant Source Of Strength

Book of Mormon Marriage And Family Study

“I beheld a river of water,”

The river of water ran alongside the tree feeding it. Water is critical to sustaining life.

Marriages and families need real nourishment. We need real water. Not fake water and not sugar water loaded with preservatives.

I find it significant that rivers are not stagnant but are constantly flowing and moving. Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world and if you drink of His water you will never thirst. His water is not filled with sugar and sugar substitutes and other preservatives; but are actually healing and strengthening.

Complacency kills marriages and families!!

Elder Holland taught;

“Now, we live in an age when that cleanliness is more and more difficult to preserve. With modern technology even your youngest brothers and sisters can be carried virtually around the world before they are old enough to ride a tricycle safely across the street. What were in my generation carefree moments of moviegoing, TV watching, and magazine reading have now, with the additional availability of VCRs, the Internet, and personal computers, become amusements fraught with genuine moral danger. I put the word amusements in italics. Did you know that the original Latin meaning of the word amusement is “a diversion of the mind intended to deceive”? Unfortunately that is largely what “amusements” in our day have again become in the hands of the arch deceiver.”

Elder Richard G. Scott said “Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, give peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing.”

Make family scripture study the prime time of the day.

Matt Townsend talks about three stages of relationships. These three stages might help you build a mighty river.

1. Chemical.
2. Earning.
3. Enduring.

The chemical is the beginning stages of love. This is what many describe as falling in love. The physical attraction is the strongest at the beginning; and is what Hollywood love focuses on exclusively. For example, why are so many celebrities constantly divorcing? Clearly physical beauty is only a small part of it. They marry beautiful people but it rarely lasts. Obviously, a happy and successful marriage needs a lot more than looks.

However, celebrities aren’t the only ones who have this problem. Many regular people date as long as they feel strong chemical (romantic) feelings.

Matt Townsend said if you think love is chemical, you are setting yourself up for failure. The chemical was never God’s plan for lasting love. That gets things started but it can’t stay that way if the relationship is to endure.

The second stage is earning. Matt said you do before you feel. Many couples whose hearts have become hardened or fallen out of love want to wait for their spouse to make the first move. Hard hearts can be softened but it requires you to act first.

The last step is enduring. Elder Holland said you know it is love when your spouse will endure great challenges with you. At this stage you have earned your love by investing deeply in each other. You have paid the price for a strong relationship. Enduring is when you will make any sacrifice for your spouse.

For example, it might happen when your wife contracts a serious illness that requires your near constant service. And you joyfully provide it!

If you live in the Salt Lake City valley, I invite you to join us at church on Sunday's at 1 p.m. We are a mid-singles ward; however, if you have a family please don't let that stop you. Please, join us for for our first meeting which is Sacrament meeting, and make sure you ask someone to introduce you to our ward mission leader. Our address is 7155 South 540 East, Midvale Utah, 84047.