What does it mean to be the light?  One example of light, in the New Testament, is that of the Apostle Paul.  Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).  Paul’s declaration is strong, and his life actions and discipleship are even more powerful.  How can we be the light and follow the Apostle Paul’s example in being disciples of Christ?  President Russell M. Nelson in a commencement address titled, Disciples of Jesus Christ—Defenders of Marriage, gave an important discipleship duty for our time.  President Nelson said, “Wherever we go, you and I as disciples of the Lord bear a solemn responsibility to proclaim the will of God to all people.  And one of the more demanding opportunities of our time is to stand up for the truth regarding the sacred nature of marriage.”  This responsibility seems intimidating and one that we could easily shrink from, but President Nelson said, “As disciples of the Lord you will stand as defenders of marriage.  And as you are true and faithful, not only will He help you and protect you, He will bless your families.”  This statement gives me courage knowing God will “help,” “protect,” and “bless [y]our families.” 

President Nelson goes on to say that:

“God is the Father of all men and women.  They are His children.  It was He who ordained marriage as the union of a man and a woman.  Marriage was not created by human judges or legislators.  It was not created by think tanks or by popular vote or by oft-quoted bloggers or by pundits.  It was not created by lobbyists.  Marriage was created by God! . . .Social and political pressure to change marriage laws are resulting in practices contrary to God’s will regarding the eternal nature and purposes of marriage.” 

It is interesting to note that President Nelson’s commencement address was given in August 2014.  Almost a year later on June 25, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States gave into to the “social and political pressure to change marriage laws” and/or the definition of marriage.  There are nine Supreme Court Justices and the vote in Obergefell v. Hodges was five to four with the majority vote putting into place a requirement that all states are to accept and license same-sex marriages.  Justice Kennedy shared many points as to why the majority believed this move was necessary.  One of the best ways to summarize this is when Justice Kennedy said, “Far from seeking to devalue marriage, the petitioners seek it for themselves because of their respect—and—need for its privileges and responsibilities.  And their immutable nature dictates that same-sex marriage is their only real path to this profound commitment.”  The majority also believed that same-sex marriage was covered by the Fourteenth Amendment and its statement that it should not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.” 

The Supreme Court of the United States dissenters (Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito) were not dissenting so much about the changed definition of marriage or the including same-sex marriages being licensed/legal.  They were more concerned about the personal opinions being the driving force for decision and the lack of the democratic process of letting the voters decide on this issue.  States were deprived the right to decide on their own based on the voice of each State’s people.  Justice Alito spoke out strongly against this saying that “If a bare majority of Justices can invent a new right and impose that right on the rest of the country, the only real limit on what futures majorities will be able to do is their own sense of what those with political power and cultural influences are willing to tolerate.  Even enthusiastic supporters of same-sex marriage should worry about the scope of the power that today’s majority claims.”  This warning causes great concern, and it is hard not to question if this was power abused by the majority.

It is important that we keep moving forward defending our religious rights and beliefs.  President Nelson says, “the burden of discipleship is heavy” but we need to remember that He will “help,” “protect,” and “bless [y]our families.”  He also reminds us that we are “beneficiaries of the infinite Atonement of the Lord.”  So “join the ranks,” and be the light.

When I think about the family and community that I was raised in, lyrics to the song, “A Long Line of Love (written by Paul Overstreet and Thom Schuyler),” automatically pops into mind.  “You see I come from a long line of love.  When times get hard, we don’t give up.  Forever is in my heart and in my blood, you see I come from a long line of love.” This song and mentality obviously dates me, but I have been blessed with the examples of a family and a community that believes in the importance of marriage and family.

As I dig a little deeper in studying about marriage, it doesn’t take much to see that marriage trends tell a different marital story than mine.  The National Marriage Project, which is based at the University of Virginia, published “The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America 2012.” This report stated that 40 to 50 percent of first time marriages will end in divorce.  The divorce percentage is even higher for remarriages.  Another alarming trend is that of cohabitation.  You might be asking yourself, “why does this matter” or “how does this affect you.”  “The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America 2012” report beautifully answers questions by stating this: “Marriage is not merely a private arrangement; it is also a complex social institution.  Marriage fosters small cooperative unions—also known as stable families—that enable children to thrive, shore up communities, and help family members to succeed during good times and to weather the bad times.”  It is eye-opening to realize the impact marriage has on more than just the individuals and family.     

Paul R. Amato, a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University, has studied in great depth the effects on children being raised in different family/parenting settings (married, divorced, single, cohabitation, etc.).  In his article, “The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation,” he shares the results of 93 studies that were published during the 1960s through the 1980s, and states that the “results supported the conclusion that the rise in divorce had lowered the average level of child well-being.”  This leaves me to wonder how often couples seeking divorce put their children as a top priority. Amato concludes his article by saying that “Children are the innocent victims of their parents’ inability to maintain harmonious and stable homes.”  I believe the most important gift we can give our children, besides love, is to be responsible adults and parents that will do whatever work is needed in order to give them a “harmonious and stable home.”     

President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing.  The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us” (Families Can Be Eternal, Nov. 1980, 4). Has the time come?  Are we there yet?  I believe we are, as we see the increase of attacks on marriage and family and the decrease of moral values.  In December, my husband and I will celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary.  Believe me when I say that throughout our marriage, we have had our fair share of reasons to walk away, but we chose to do the work instead.  I am on the path to become a marriage and family counselor in order to fight the good fight because of my deep belief in families being forever.  I believe that family is everything and worth the good fight!     

“Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.”

-C. S. Lewis-