Finding Joy & Happiness in Marriage and Family

 

President James E. Faust has said: “happiness in marriage… can exceed a thousand times any other happiness.” There have been studies showing proof about the benefits of marriage. In fact, Dr. Mark D. Ogletree and Douglas E. Brinley have said it should be “one of the most fulfilling and satisfying experiences of our lifetime”. Furthermore, married people report being twice as happy (43.5%) as divorced individuals (21%) and individuals who have never married (18.3%). “There is nothing more fulfilling than a happy marriage and a happy family life”.

But that doesn’t just happen naturally. Marriages, contrary to what our imagination might think, doesn’t just happen to be good. We must work to continue to make them good. Marriages requires a lot of hard work, but they are also one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. That is why it’s important that we choose a partner who is near unto perfection in those areas that matter most. What does matter most to us? We cannot expect our spouse to be perfect, but we also must be wise about what partner we choose to marry. The things that are most important to me in a spouse are that he is loyal, considerate of others, trustworthy, humble, and someone that is trying his best to improve.

No person or no marriage on Earth is perfect. So how can we continue to nourish and strengthen our marriages? The most important thing to remember when to comes to marriage is that we find joy when we serve others and look outside of ourselves. I believe that is very hard to make a marriage work out when both the husband and wife are focused solely on themselves. Marriages help us to become better individuals, and they allow us to feel joy in the family in ways that you can’t get any other way. Studies have shown the effects that marriage has on the individual and on the family collectively. Here are just a few, according to Mark D. Ogletree and Douglas E. Brinley:

1)      “Married people tend to live longer, suffer less from illness, and recover more quickly. They also exhibit fewer risk-taking behaviors and have the lowest rates of suicide and alcoholism”

2)      “Married people are likely to be happier and enjoy higher well-being in all facets of life. They suffer significantly less from depression and other psychiatric disorders”

3)      “Married people are usually better off economically, spend less, and save more; two-parent families are a powerful barrier against poverty”

4)      “Married people are more fulfilled in their sexual relations than other sexually active people. They are less likely to be disinterested in or to feel anxiety over sex.”

These are some of the powerful advantages to being married, and many others that I did not list. Even though I am not quite married, I am looking forward to the opportunity that I will have to become married and raise a family. I know that will be a big blessing to me.

Though I have spent a lot of time discussing the benefits of marriage, I know that there are many individuals and families who are struggling with a variety of stressful and painful situations including death, divorce, addiction, mental illness, and many other factors that have affected individuals and families in some way. Please know and understand these are understandably painful circumstances. What I hope to be able to convey is that there is hope for a bright and happy future. I personally believe that families are not meant to be something that lasts only here on Earth. I believe that happiness in family life dwells forever, and that we can hope for blessings and joy, if not now, even more than we can imagine in the future.