A Crisis in the Body of Christ- Divorce

I am a child of divorce. 

In this day and age that is not that big of a deal, but for me, growing up, they were just beginning to do “divorce episodes” on TV. Most of my friends still had both parents in their homes, and many had no idea what having a step parent was like except for Grimm’s Fairy-tales.

When I was 15 I vowed to myself that I would never date anyone who had children because I knew I was not a good enough person to be a good step parent. I knew that I could not deal with the issues that come up with a blended family. Of course I knew everything at 15, right?

I have met a few people who are the type who were meant to be step parents. A friend of mine has a wonderful husband who took on her then six month old as his own, and now, ten years later, when people find out that the child is not his biological child, there is often shock and admiration. Why? When other people have such a large capacity to love, that they adopt someone else’s responsibility as their own we are surprised, that’s why.

One of the things I have always wanted to do as an adult is talk to kids who are from divorced families, and especially kids who are in blended families: those mine, yours and ours families. Divorce may be common place today, but the effects of divorce on the heart are still the same. Brokenness and heartache, feelings of rejection, anger, personal responsibility, and confusion are just some of the things I felt and I know that they are things I still deal with as an adult. Thank God for His goodness to heal our hurts and to quell our anger, because without Him, these things are nearly impossible to get through.

There is a crisis in the body right now and it is divorce. There is no difference in the divorce rate of the world and the church right now. What is going on? Why have we been affected by the world’s answer to unhappiness in a marriage and not the other way around?  Why are our children church programs filled with kids who grew up in church, and are still the products of divorce? What are we missing?

This week I am going to be exploring the word and talking a bit about marriage, broken vows, overcoming, and God’s answer to the issues of marriage and subsequently, divorce. My hope is that you will participate by sharing your thoughts and stories with us this week. If you were a child of divorce, then what issues have you faced that still affect you today? If you have divorced, what issues do you have as a parent? What did you feel you needed that you did not get from your church?  These are just some of the things I want to talk about with you and I hope that you will not be afraid to share with us.

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that love is a verb.