Article February 15, 2010 Issue

To keep the marriage bond strong

CURT WAHLBERG

IT'S A SCENARIO THAT'S BEEN the topic of countless books, conversations, and often plays a role in divorce. You're married, and it occurs to you that there might be someone besides your spouse who would be more compatible or supportive, or seems more attractive in some way. Maybe there's something going on in the marriage suggesting you should look elsewhere for happiness.

It seems to me it's the nature of human life to be confronted with thoughts like these. But as legitimate and real as such feelings might seem, there's something else very significant worth considering. Very often the challenge or discord we face is, at its root, not so much the marriage itself or the ways of our spouse. Sure, there may be plenty of evidence to suggest that marriages are suffering, not standing up to the circumstantial strains placed on couples. But marriage is also a powerfully effective tool to help us stand up to tough times.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health, "The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man's origin" (p. 262). The basic belief that we are each struggling, sinning mortals doesn't exactly set us up for success. But a view of our spiritual origin, as stated in the first chapter of Genesis, clarifies our divine heritage and gives us strength. The passage continues: "To begin rightly is to end rightly. Every concept which seems to begin with the brain begins falsely. Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence."

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