Marry a best friend

“Marrying your best friend eliminates the risk of divorce by over 70%. These marriages are more likely to last a lifetime”(thepsychmind.com). Some of the reasons to marry a best friend include fulfilling our human needs, finding happiness in marriage, and consecrating that marriage to God.

As we come to understand Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, we have a road map for successful marriages.  This formula follows that once your basic needs are met, you will better equipped to chose a marriage partner who is a best friend, fulfilling psychological needs.  Developing a deep friendship, will then be the foundation of a happy marriage and also promote reaching a level of self-fulfillment, which members of the church know as living the law of consecration. Wallace Goddard in Drawing Heaven into Your Marraige, states that “afflictions are the process by which God cultivates growth.  Rather than dread our difficulties, we can learn to welcome them.  We can learn to see them as blessings from heaven.” (p. 37)

“At the heart of the Seven Principles approach is the simple truth that happy marriages are based on a deep friendship. By this I mean mutual respect for and enjoyment of each other’s company.  These couples tend to know eachother intimately - they are well versed in eachother’s likes, dislikes, personality quirks, hopes, and dreams.  They have an abiding regard for each other and express this fondness not just in the big ways but through small gestures day in and day out.” (Gottman, p. 21)

This is a picture of my sweet friend Christina and her husband Jon.  Ten years ago, Jon was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed.  At the time, their 4 daughters were ages 1-8, just babies.  Now, their oldest daughter is serving a mission and teaching the gospel to the people of Brazil.    I have loved watching their family grow through their afflictions.  Their enduring friendship is a beautiful example in my life.  Marry a best friend, life is hard!