Strengthening of Marriage + the Home

In a world where marriage and the family is being attacked, Elder David A. Bednar said, we must, “devote our best efforts to the strengthening of marriage and the home.” We’re told that we should strengthen the marriage and the home, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. So my question is, how do we strengthen our marriage and our home?

I pondered this thought and did some research and this is what I came up with.

1.    Respect one another

Elder Bruce C. Hafen said,

“One woman told me through her tears how her husband’s constant criticism finally destroyed not only their marriage but her self-worth. He first complained about her cooking and housecleaning, and then about how she used her time, how she talked, looked, and reasoned. Eventually she felt utterly inept and dysfunctional. My heart ached for her, and for him.”

If you're going to strengthen your home and family then you must first build a strong foundation which, in my opinion, begins with respecting each other.

2.     Serve one another

When my husband and I were engaged he took a marriage prep class and learned about the 5 Love Languages. If you don’t know what the 5 Love Languages are, they are:

Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.

He took a quiz where it rated all the different love languages beginning with his strongest. He found that his strongest love language is acts of service. For him, the times he feels the most loved is when I do acts of service for him like cleaning the house or making the bed.

3.     Communicate with one another

Communication is one of the most important things in a marriage. If you are able to successfully communicate with one another than you will most likely find that you can overcome obstacles a lot more easily.

4.     Love one another

We are taught in John 13:34,

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” 

So we are commanded to love one another so I would think that if we are to love strangers then we should love our spouses even more.

Elder David A. Bednar said,

“As young women and men perceive mutual respect, affection, trust, and love between a husband and a wife, then they will strive to cultivate the same characteristics in their lives.”

There is still hope. I know that if we will do these things then we will be able to strengthen our marriages and our families.