Darren and I had a great discussion with some friends a week ago, and it was great to hear that they had the same opinion on a touchy subject as we do: Divorce. And some of them even have divorced parents and still feel this way.
Except for a few reasons, divorce is never an option to solving problems in marriage. Never. End of story. Exceptions are abuse and/or habitual (or unforgivable) criminal activity.
Any other issue, problem, disagreement or miscommunication can be solved without separation. Especially when the marriage is founded on trust and Christ!
Somewhat unrelated to this:
I read a blog post about someone's opinions on gay marriage, stating that our country's divorce rate is absurd, and there are more single mothers than married mothers and that these straight people have destroyed the sanctity of marriage.
I say, FALSE!! How can men expect to become husbands and fathers, to fulfill their life's calling, to step up and keep the divorce rate from climbing even more when they aren't expected to be part of a marriage any more? How can women hope to become the best version of themselves, which only her husband can truly help in succeeding with, when they aren't expected to be part of a marriage anymore?
In the Bible, Eve was created from Adam's rib. She was created to be a helpmeet and companion. A man and a woman. Then after (Genesis 2:24) they leave their parents and become one flesh.
(Also, I found this awesome explanation of 'help meet' and how its so much more than 'worthy enough for' http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2010/11/real-meaning-of-term-help-meet.html )
(Nerd Alert!!!) I just finished reading The Blood of Olympus (the final book in Rick Riordan's Hero's of Olympus series). Just in passing, the myth about Zeus splitting men and women apart because they are too powerful as one was mentioned. This quote explains best:
“According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”
― Plato, The Symposium
The original speech goes into how there were three forms of humans, male, female, and one that is both male and female. After Zeus would split them, they would search forever for their other half, some looking for the same gender, some not. However, once the same gender half's found one another, they don't wed. 'The intense yearning which each of them has towards the other does not appear to be the desire of lover's intercourse.' In other words, they are pretty much best friends with all the same interests, but never desiring to procreate and grow their family. The male/female humans were the ones that Zeus expected to continue their race...
Anyways... I just wanted to voice my opinions on traditional marriage and disapproval of divorce and same-gender marriage, and the historical support (even if ancient myths) of traditional marriage.
I KNOW that marriage is a sacred union, and must be taken seriously. I know that the Lord puts people in our lives to lead us certain directions and to certain people. I am so grateful for my husband, for his love and support in all that I do, he's truly my missing half. I'm so grateful for the friends and family we have in our lives that are such great examples of strong, happy, healthy marriages. I know that with Christ, nothing is impossible, especially when you have your spouse to help you and your family get where you desire to be.
