Sexual Intimacy

So today I want to talk about something that is a little bit more taboo, sexual intimacy. This topic u=is often something that people feel awkward discussing but I want to focus on what it is and not how it happens necessarily. Sexual intimacy is something that is meant to unite husband and wife together.. My teacher related it to a present. Say on your wedding day somebody brings in a huge present that you know is probably expensive and fragile. What would you do? Would you push your spouse out of the way and run to it and rip it open? Or, would you take your spouses hand and open it together. Sex is like this present, it is fragile and precious. If you jump right into it you may end up damaging the relationship but if you work with your partner and unwrap it slowly you will find it to be a much better experience. Another thing that was said in lass that stuck out to me was that we should make love not have sex. These are both different phrases for the same thing but if you think about what they mean there is a significant difference between them. Sex is meant to be something that draws you together with your spouse and creates more commitment and love, but in society now a days it is used as more of a fun thing that doesn't mean anything. You see it on TV, read about it in books, and hear about people doing it outside of the bonds of marriage all the time. When you are having sex your body releases high levels of oxytocin which causes more attachment. This can be very helpful for husband and wife but makes it hard for those who are having sex for fun because they get more attached to their partner just to have that taken away from them. Sex is a very sacred thing that we should be using to create love and commitment and not just for fun.

The Atonement

Hi  guys! This is once again a post that doesn't have anything to do with my family relations class. Rather this has to do with the atonement. Many people see the atonement only for repentance and for the chance to be resurrected. But the atonement holds so much more. It can give us strength and enable us to do things we never thought possible. Jesus Christ atoned for our sins so that he could understand what we are going through. He has felt all of our pains and sorrows. He knows us each more than we could ever imagine. When you are going through a hard time you can always turn to Him and he will help you through it. Jesus Christ knows exactly how we feel, with him we are never alone. He can give us the strength to move mountains. In Alma 56:56 it states "They had fought as if wiht the strength of God... with such miraculous strength and with such mighty power." I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and he sent his son Jesus Christ to show us the way home and to give us the strength to fight temptations and hard times. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Wedding and Marriage

This week in class we talked about the wedding and marriage. We discussed the weddings symbolism a lot more than I ever had before. It was interesting to see how important some of the rituals we go through actually are. The one I thought was the most interesting was the wedding reception. I always thought of this as just a fun party to celebrate the new couple and in a way it is. Although it is also an opportunity to set some clear boundaries and for the families and friends of the couple to welcome the couple as a new family. These are important because it is necessary to have some boundaries between the couple and those around them. It is also good to have the husband and wife plan their wedding together. Often times it is planned more with the wife and her mom. This is good but it also builds the relationship between them instead of building the one between the husband and wife. Boundaries and experiences that build the relationship between the two getting married are important because when hard times come the husband and wife will be more likely to lean on each other and strengthen their marriage rather than leaning on others. This is going to be highly beneficial when they are first married because marriage comes with a lot of change. Some of the changes are big while others are smaller. These changes include having somebody always there with you, having to combine your schedules, sharing a bed/bedroom, creating rituals like scripture study and dinner time, and making big decisions together like when to have kids, what to do about education, jobs, where to live, and so much more. Marriage has a lot of mutual decision making involved. One thing my teacher said that really stuck out to me was, "When it comes to marriage you must care at least as much about what your partner wants as what you want." I hope this blog has been helpful and brings some insights you hadn't heard before. Thanks for reading and remember a strong happy marriage can be one of the greatest blessings in your life, but it takes work.

Faith

"By faith all things are fulfilled."- Ether 12:3

Today I want to discuss the topic of faith. I know this is a blog for Family relations but I'm going to talk about this anyway. Faith is one of the most important things we can work on in this life. We need to have faith to lead us into actions that will bless and strengthen us. But what is faith? Its more than just a word we use to explain a feeling or a thought. The bible dictionary says "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true." In Alma 32 it expands this definition by adding on that "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things..." Faith is something that requires us to be obedient and to keep the commandments. We need to be trying to seek out the truth. Faith is action word. It requires us to work for it. in Alma 32:37 it says "let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us." Heber J. Grant said that "by doing our duty, faith increases until it becomes a perfect knowledge." So why is faith something that we should work on having and what can it do for us? Faith can give us the power to do all things, to lay hold of good things, it can provide us hope as well as miracles. But most important, faith can help us to see God. In a recent devotional at BYU- Idaho Elder Clark said that with faith you can accomplish what the Lord wants you to accomplish. I know that this is true and that as we act in faith Heavenly Father will provide a way and help us gain perfect knowledge. I know that as we nourish our faith by studying the scriptures and asking God with a sincere heart that we can grow a stronger testimony. I know that we can grow the seed of faith whether it be big or small into something much greater. As we nourish this seed its roots will grow deeper into our hearts and souls and that when Satan's winds and storms come we will be able to stand tall. I bear my testimony of this to you and challenge you to study the scriptures and pray to Heavenly Father if you do not have the knowledge of faith and that you can gain it for yourself. I say these things with love, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Melanie