August 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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strength, and release from the
demon that plagued him.
Following the Lord’s Guidance
Empowered by the Lord, I began
to take steps. I discontinued our
Internet service, feeling strongly
impressed that if my husband was
to heal, he needed to get away from
the temptation. Others in this situation
may receive a different answer,
but for us, discontinuing our
Internet service for a time was a
great blessing. Once my husband
was away from the temptation for a Every marriage benefits from sharing positive
few days, he acknowledged how experiences. Do things together that can refocus
much this had helped him. He told your lives on the good and the beautiful.
me he had tried to overcome this
sin alone and thought he was strong enough. Then, as he
failed, he felt ashamed and tried to hide his sin from me
and from God. But now he was feeling hope! We cried
together. We prayed together.
We asked for a priesthood blessing from a dear friend,
the man who had baptized my husband years before. In
the blessing my husband was assured several times that
the Lord loved him. He was counseled to trust and confide
in me, and he was blessed with the ability to know right
from wrong—a great help, as pornography use warps a
person’s moral judgment.
This blessing strengthened both of us. I continued my
own increased personal spiritual efforts: frequent fasting,
much prayer, temple attendance, and immersion in the
scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Our scripture
study and prayers together began to be sweet again.
Knowing that I needed to acquire knowledge by my own
efforts as well as through prayer,
I read everything I could find from
General Authorities regarding
pornography, and I also read
material written by Latter-day Saint
professionals. My husband and I
counseled with our priesthood
leaders, who encouraged our
efforts and expressed their faith
that we would win this battle.
I felt impressed to talk frankly
with my husband. I never underplayed
or made any excuses for his
sin. I talked with him about this
subject only according to what
came to me in prayer and only
when the time felt right. I received
much guidance and inspiration.
If my hurt resurfaced—and it did on occasion, especially
at first—I took it to Heavenly Father in prayer. I made extra
efforts to show my husband that my love for him was deep.
He needed to know we were a team and that together we
would fight the enemy. His wife, his best friend, would
stand by him. What a sweet experience it was for me to see
his repentance process bringing light back into his life!
I loved my husband for the strong, good man I knew he
was. From my reading I knew that pornography use robs a
person of feelings of self-worth, so I did all I could to help
him rebuild faith in himself. I also learned to acknowledge
my failures and weaknesses to my husband more readily
than I had before, and I asked for his advice and counsel
more often. I was humbled and grateful for his insights
and support. This strengthened us both.
I worked hard to share many positive,
fun experiences with my husband. I
wanted to let the light in so he could feel
and savor the difference. We went on
many walks and took peaceful drives in