Ben and Marie (not their real names) have been together for 12 years, and they have three children. Their marriage was never perfect, and their arguments never stopped—mainly because they never had enough money to pay their bills. In the end, Marie decided to end the marriage simply because, she claimed, God “told her” to divorce. A few months later, God “told her” to move in with another man.
The church today is full of stories like this. While there are certainly justifiable and biblical reasons for ending a marriage (see my column from May 28), way too many believers are taking the easy road to divorce and paving the way for others with their bad examples. This has become a special problem in some charismatic circles, because we believe in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. Today, it’s convenient to blame the Holy Spirit for our bad choices by saying “God told me to do it.”
Here are the six most common bad excuses I’ve heard recently from people who chose the easy road to divorce instead of the narrower path to healing:
1. “We never should have married in the first place.” Couples who are in love can make foolish decisions, for sure. Some hurriedly elope without any pre-marital counseling, while others aren’t financially ready—so marriage becomes a nightmare of stress and unpaid bills. Once you choose to marry, you must assume the responsibility of adulthood. Grow up and accept the consequences of your choices. If you shirk your responsibility now by bailing out, you will end up running from maturity the rest of your life.
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