Divorce as a Last Resort

"Two individuals approaching the marriage altar must realize that to attain the happy marriage which they hope for they must know that marriage … means sacrifice, sharing, and even a reduction of some personal liberties. It means long, hard economizing. It means children who bring with them financial burdens, service burdens, care and worry burdens; but also it means the deepest and sweetest emotions of all.”

- President Spencer W. Kimball

Divorce is a very common occurrence today. We all know someone that has gone through a divorce, or that has been affected by one. Divorce not only affects the husband and wife but, also the kids. We are now noticing that people are waiting later to get married, are less likely to get married and cohabitation is on the rise. Marriage is being treated more as a disposable arrangement in society.

My parents set a great example of marriage to me growing up and were married for over 40 years. I myself have been married for 26 years. Marriage is not always easy, as a matter of fact marriage requires a lot of hard work, just like the quote from President Kimball states.

If someone were to ask me about the Church’s view on divorce, I would first explain that we believe that marriage is ordained of God. If we are contemplating divorce we are to seek counsel from our Bishop and try to work through our indifferences and try to save our marriage first. Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated, “Latter-day Saint spouses should do all within their power to preserve their marriages.” It requires a lot of forgiveness to get past one another’s faults and shortcomings, but if we can, and focus on the positive attributes of one another, it will strengthen our relationships with each another. If a marriage is falling apart due to abuse and infidelity, the church does support divorce.

Those that we know that have had the unfortunate experience of going through a divorce, we need to support them and their families. We need to help and assist however we can through ministering. In regards to children of divorce, there are a lot of opportunities that we can step in and help. What are some ways that we can support those that we know that have been through a divorce?