Learning to Love – postscript

The question that may be on the minds of many after reading Learning to Love (I – III)  is whether Meg did the right thing by staying in her marriage or whether she should have walked away a long time ago.

The Bible has given Christians the grounds for divorce which is adultery. But it must be added that even with adultery, a spouse still has the option of forgiving the other spouse, especially when it occurs for the first time.

There’s also the issue of violence in marriage. Should one stay in a marriage where you are being threatened with violence or one in which you are actually being beaten? God wants us alive and not dead, for His purposes and glory. If you are in such a marriage, it is ideal that you take your children with you (if you have any) and separate from your spouse. There are some non profit organizations which provide shelters for battered women. You can inquire from your local legal aid office for some suggestions.

Unfortunately in some countries (Ghana being one of such) separation is not formally recognized by the law but it can be practised anyway. A person in such a situation can seek a restraining order from the court, to restrain the defaulting spouse from hurting him or her or the children. Furthermore, the threat of violence is a civil wrong to which the courts give a remedy and actual violence is criminal and punishable by the Courts.

One of God’s purposes in marriage is to create a holy seed, the children (Malachi  2:15). God wants to preserve the next generation.

He wants to raise children who can take up the mantle and carry on the work of the Kingdom, from where their parents left off. This is the reason why Satan attacks Christian marriages. That’s also part of the reason why God frowns upon divorce. So even where two unbelievers marry and later one becomes a Christian, God does not expect the Christian to divorce because of this. The Bible says the believing spouse sanctifies the unbelieving spouse (1 Corinthians 7:14).

Today many people divorce for a host of reasons. Even though you know what you are running from do you know what you are running to? The marriage you now find abominable was once a dream come true for you. Why not work at it and make it better?