Week 13 - From the Ground Up

 Hey everyone!

Well, that was the last full week of school. Man. I'm glad this semester is over. It's been strange, and a lot of things have been difficult about it. Certainly it's tested my patience and confidence in everything, but that can be good. We grow through our hardships, right?

That much is something that I want to focus on with this, what will be my last post for the semester. Families aren't perfect. Our best efforts aren't always reflected in the results sometimes. As we've seen, men and women are innately different, and oftentimes for a variety of reasons, those differences can create discord and disagreement. Ideally, we employ the characteristics and attitudes that help us to overcome those differences, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. In times like this couples far too often turn to divorce as an answer.

In the scriptures, Christ taught an interesting doctrine concerning divorce. He taught that it isn't the way to go, save it be for reasons of adultery. Why is that? I believe that He wants us to set aside our differences and learn how to better love our spouses. 

Since this is my last post for the class, I want to reflect on something that I've learned and reinforced throughout the semester. Marriage isn't just an opportunity to look good or satisfy life goals. Marriage is a lot, A LOT of work. It requires a lot of work, a lot of patience, and a LOT of humility if you want to have a happy marriage. It really isn't just pure bliss like people say. 

Is it worth it? Absolutely. In fact, the struggle to maintain it makes it worth it. All good things in life are worth working for. The best things in life require working towards. Nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter in life. That much I've learned in the course of this semester. 

Sometimes we may think that we know what we want. Maybe a white picket fence house or a trophy wife/husband. Maybe we even think that what we want is good. I think a higher power knows better. I trust in that higher power. I trust that as I do what I need to do and listen, I will be blessed for my efforts. I'm not married. I'm not even in a relationship. I can still prepare myself so that I'm a better husband and father someday. 

That much is what I want.

-Caleb