I moved in with my boyfriend 7 years ago when I wasn’t living for God, but we planned on getting married within the year. However, I got very sick and now have sever heart/lung problems. My doctor and several persons at my support group said we should not get married due to financial reasons. (Cost of transplant, continuing medical bills, etc.) Now my boyfriend doesn’t want to get married. I have come back to God and have recently talked to some missionaries and am interested in the the mormon church but what do I do about my living situation. I love my boyfriend, he takes such good care of me in sickness and health and says a piece of paper isn’t going to make him love me more. What do I do? Does God really care if we get married?
Lori
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Lori,
I have to shake my head at the whole “a piece of paper won’t make me love you more” argument. If that’s the case, then why object to it? If you’re already living as a married couple, what’s the harm in making it official?
Pardon me, but these are my personal thoughts. Let me say that I love my wife more now than I ever have in the past. I find it incredible that this is the case, but the fact brings me countless moments of joy and peace during difficult times.
A marriage, at the very least, is a commitment to be there for each other as long as both of you are living and breathing. In the LDS Church we believe that marriages can be for time and for all eternity, and not just for this life. I can tell you with certainty that marriage is an essential tool for couples if they are to endure the challenges of life together with the greatest success.
God absolutely cares if you get married. God instituted marriage for several important reasons beyond spousal stability and fidelity, though those are also very important. Along with these, the family environment is far stronger and stable for children to be raised in a home where both parents honor their marriage. I could go on, but instead I pray for your health to return to you. May the love of God carry you both through this difficult time, and follow the promptings of God through the Holy Ghost.
-Gramps
