“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?” Isaiah 51:12-13
Years ago, Charlyne and I were glued to the television one Saturday as reports came in about the damage to Florida’s West Coast from a recent hurricane. Our Governor at the time, Jeb Bush, toured the damaged area by helicopter. Afterward, while addressing people in that area and the media, the Governor spoke about people who had not evacuated the area when advised. His comment that they had developed “hurricane amnesia” triggered a thought within me. Why have so many people, even within the church, developed “divorce amnesia”?
I suspect the Governor’s comment touched me because of something I had heard Charlyne say the day before. Charlyne spoke about the old church directories that contained pictures of families. She suggested that we go back and look at families in our older directories and think about where that family is today. Many families we knew when our children were growing up are now divorced.
What happened? How can one church family after another divorce? Because the enemy is busy infecting men and women with divorce amnesia. They forget how the family next door was destroyed by divorce. They forget the tears of an abandoned spouse. Most of all, they forget how Satan will take every opportunity and use it to damage a marriage.
The person with divorce amnesia sets out to have some “fun” by the world’s standards. That man or woman soon discovered their brand of fun was addictive. Soon it was taking more and more of whatever fun they were involved in to satisfy their cravings. The next step, unless someone takes a stand for that marriage, is divorce court. What they were dabbling in was not f-u-n but another three-letter word, s-i-n. Before long, their gaze was off their marriage and on s-i-n.
Just as the Governor is concerned over people with hurricane amnesia, we need to be concerned over divorce amnesia. One of the most effective ways of reminding everyone who knows you about the damage done by divorce and that God can heal broken marriages will be your restored marriage. Some of those people will remain in their marriage and trust the Lord to right the wrongs because you did so and set an example for them to follow.
Do you get it? You are in a position to curb divorce amnesia in your church and your family by continuing to trust God with your family. May people remember not only the high cost of divorce but also the joy of marriage restoration because you took a stand.
When you go to church, hold your head high. Be proud of the work that our Lord God has done in your life and your marriage. Remember to pray for other marriages that may be where you once were.
At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! Deuteronomy 1:10-11
God bless,
