The Divorce Announcement
By Tracy Lane
“When we get back to 1-9-1-5 Martha Drive, we’re done. I’m leaving.” My husband growled.
It would’ve been easier if we could slam the door and walk away to cool down a bit. The only problem was we were parked on the side of I-40 somewhere in the middle of a 22-hour drive home. Not exactly the easiest place to express—or even believe in—our never-ending love for each other.
So I don’t know why the divorce announcement came as a surprise to me. To be fair, we were working against the odds.
Some we knowingly entered marriage with: two sets of divorced homes and demanding careers. Some we inherited that summer: the surprise death of a parent and birth of a chronically-ill second child.
We knew the divorce announcement would happen eventually. American couples enter marriage with the idea they only have a 50% chance of making it.
But too often we sorely under-inform couples of the possibility of marital longevity. Did you know every marriage—even your marriage—has a chance of making it? That’s no matter the odds against you. Or the ones that bombarded your life all in one crazy, defeating summer.
When we arrived home, we decided to see a marriage counselor. And it reset our expectations. He and his wife had experienced significant hardship, too. They weren’t supposed to make it either.
But guess what? They did. They’re still together. And he told us we could, too. It made us believe it a little bit.
To be honest, the day-to-day in our marriage is hard just like yours might be: messy floors, burnt dinners. And in our marriage, just like maybe in yours, we’ve encountered much bigger challenges than that.
Still, the day we said our vows we both actually hoped it would work. Just like you and your spouse did. Whether you believed you could make it or not, there was something inside each of you that dreamed of forever.
That’s not silly, Disney-movie leftovers from childhood. That’s God’s good design for marriage working itself out in you.
Want to know more about what it takes to stay married? Read “7 Healthy Habits of Marriage.”
The Good Stuff: The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)
Action Points: Where does your marriage take priority in your life? A marriage that lasts is a marriage that carries top spot. Thinking through how you choose to spend your time, can you honestly say you place your marriage above your career, kids, hobbies, or extended family? Would your spouse agree?
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