Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  My name is Becky and I’m a student at BYU-Idaho.  I’m working on my Marriage and Family degree and as such, this blog is part of an assignment for – you guessed it – a marriage class.  I chose the name “The Matter of Marriage” because there are a lot of matters that go into a marriage, and marriage matters a lot.  To individuals, to families, and to society as a whole. 

Though this blog is an assignment, I am so excited to have the opportunity to talk about such an important topic every week.  Marriage is very important to me and if, through this blog, I can help even one individual or family, that will be great!  I hope at the very least to be able to give others some things to think about and maybe some ideas for their own marriage. 

Marriage isn’t just a piece of paper, as some believe.  Marriage is a blessing.  I believe that marriage is ordained of God.  It affords eternal blessings to our families and to generations that follow.  Marriage is (or should be) a strong commitment between two people.  In many marriage ceremonies, the vows or the officiator will say something to the effect of “for better or for worse”, and the couple agrees to stand by each other – no matter what.  Unfortunately in our society the trend has turned.  Now, when things get tough, many people walk away.  It saddens me that some people actually think that there is such a thing as a “starter marriage” – let’s try it out and if it doesn’t work out, oh well.  Discard it and try again.  We see so many statistics that show a grim picture for marriage in our society.  The divorce rate is high; more and more people are opting for cohabitation before marriage; some have no desire to marry but still decide to have children together.  But why does any of this matter to you, or to me, or to anyone?  Well, it matters a great deal.  Children fare much better when they are raised in a home with a married mother and father.  Those children are the future of our society and their success at life starts at home.  The success of any society starts in the home, and whatever happens in society effects you and me.  I know very well that some marriages just do not work.  I would never suggest that someone stay in a dangerous or abusive relationship.  But I do believe that many – most – problems can be resolved if we're willing to work at it.  If we let go of our selfish desires and look to the Lord, we can get through anything. 

In writing this blog, I hope that I do not offend anyone.  My intent is to share what I'm learning, learn from each other and hopefully help someone along the way.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you'll visit again!