Avoid Marrying the Wrong Person

According to Elder Oaks and Elder Faust, divorce is something that is very strongly discouraged in the LDS church. We do not get divorced when marriage becomes difficult. We do not break apart the family because the spouses simply can't resolve their differences. The leaders of the church encourage couples to work through marital problems and seek counsel from their bishop. Oaks explains that he has often found that the couples who work to keep their marriage intact often find that it is stronger than it was before. Divorce is necessary in some circumstances, such as a story Elder Oaks mentions about a newlywed couple in the Phillipines. The husband left, abandoning his wife. There are times when divorce might be necessary, such as when one of the spouse's is unfaithful or abusive; however, aside from these special circumstances the church strongly encourages its members to stay married.

One thing Elder Oaks suggests to prevent divorce is avoiding marrying the wrong person. This makes sense that we would try to avoid marrying someone who would leave us or hurt us. Of course, we may not always be able to tell that a relationship will ultimately go downhill. And we shouldn't blame someone for their marriage not working out. But, we should do as much as we possibly can before we get married to make sure that we are marrying the right person. One of the biggest, most important things we can do to ensure we are going down the right path is pray about it. We can pray about the person to our Heavenly Father and we can ask if this person is a good choice for us. Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He will listen and guide us accordingly. Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. If you do this, Heavenly Father will lead you to the best possible spouse for you. 

As a single woman, I do all I can to apply this counsel into my own life. I am terrified of marrying the wrong person, and so I am very prayerful about the men that I date. Not just because I am afraid of divorce, but because I know what my ultimate goal is. I want a marriage and a love that will last forever, and I want to find that someone who is willing to work with me every day to make our marriage work. I know that as I pray and seek to know my Heavenly Father's will and His counsel, He can help me find the best possible spouse for me.