The Forever I Do…Maybe

I must apologize first because I have never been through or come close to divorcing my wife. Our marriage is in it’s infancy, but in many respects we have already become long-timers amongst our friends and acquaintances. I don’t mean this to brag by any means. No, it has been so shocking lately to hear of how many couple are getting divorced or have already done so lately. Combine this with the couples we know of who are looking to buy a house together outside of wedlock, and the “Forever I Do” starts to seem like more of a “Maybe”.

All of this makes my heart break completely. Just so you know, I am a Christian who believes in the God of the Bible, and that Scripture is the inspired Word of God. According to Scripture it is only ever okay to get divorced on the grounds of the other being unfaithful, and that is loosely translated. In Malachi, the Lord says, “For I hate divorce…” I have a large group of friends who are Christian and a large group of friends who are not. I have been surprised to hear of the number in both groups who have left their marriages.

I can’t imagine that anyone getting a divorce or anyone who has been through it could or would say, “I love divorce” because they surely didn’t enter the marriage with that in mind (I am leaving out the proverbial “gold digger” here on purpose). Even if all of the divorces that I have heard of recently are due to some form of marital unfaithfulness, then what is the source of their unfaithfulness? Why is marriage becoming so marginalized in our society?

Molly and I have made a commitment, and we have vowed to erase the word divorce from our vocabulary. It is not an option that we discuss, nor one that we turn to in hard times. I can’t imagine what circumstance would arise that would change this, and maybe some were shocked when it happened to them.

This week I will be praying for marriages all over the world that men would love their wives as Christ loves the church and gave his life up for it, and that women would love and honor their husbands. I pray that every marriage would turn to Jesus for the source of their strength and need in good and bad times. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.