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The Negative Effect of Divorce
We all have seen the impact a failed marriage has on, not just the couple involved, but the far-reaching effect endured by many. Children, in-laws, friends, brethren, and most importantly, the souls of all involved.
We have heard the statistics – almost half of all marriages end in divorce today. Not only is it the divorce rate, but the sanctity of marriage is under attack in our so-called modern world. Living together, same sex, multiple marriages, open marriages – the more our society accepts as a union between two people, the farther we distance ourselves from God’s design.
Mark 10:9 tells us that what God has joined together, let not man separate. Christ’s explanation of God’s design for a man and a woman, joined together in marriage, is complete on expectation and responsibility. Yet we humans continue to find ways to identify more scenarios, where divorce is justified. No matter the cause or effect, personal opinion is allowed to trump what God has outlined as the proper relationship of a man and a woman joined together in marriage.
It is no coincidence, that in Jesus’ description of the marriage relationship in Mark 10, that children are brought to him. Children, more than anyone involved in divorce, bear the greatest impact. Doubt, rebellion, suicide – all the things we do our best to protect our children from, divorce exposes them to for a lifetime. In conversations with adults who endured divorce as children, this single act has had, and continues to have, the most negative impact on their lives.
What can we as parents and fellow Christians do to try and stem the tide of divorce around us? Be active in our children’s training and preparation for marriage. Being the proper example in our own marriages shows not only our children, but those around us, how God intends for couples to act in the marriage relationship.
Moral integrity and leadership by the husband set the tone for the marriage. A proper husband recognizes the need to honor his wife. 1Peter 3:7: “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Setting the example God has intended for the woman in the marriage relationship shows daughters what God’s expectations for their future marriage are. 1Peter 3:1-2: “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear."
These examples are sufficient in guiding us to successful marriages in our homes and proving what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God really is. Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
- Greg Boatright
