Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
-Mathew 1:19, NIV
Sometimes divorce is the best of the bad options left.
Today, I want to celebrate the courageous ones. The divorced who chose ridicule from pastors, congregants, counselors, and sometimes family over enabling adultery and deceit any more.
These people have grit.
And they have a powerful testimony that the Church needs to hear.
Some choose divorce over allowing husbands to continue frequenting hookers. Others choose divorce over wives who have an out of control night life–i.e. alcoholism, sexual debauchery, and all!
They have stared down the fear-mongering giants of religious shame, poverty, and “cursing” of their children.
And they have said, “ENOUGH!”
My hat is off to them.
Some of you have had unbelievably tough mountains to climb. Yet, you chose to honor God’s word refusing to accept anything less than true and full repentance when your marriage was violated by adultery. Settling for contempt and more soul rapes was not acceptable to you.
You walked the path Joseph was willing to walk as a righteous man who understood sexual infidelity was incompatible with his and God’s values.*
I am truly amazed by the stories I hear of people going forth under incredibly stressful situations. Testimonies exist of how God provided miraculously as they step through the carnage left by the adulterous betrayals and divorce from their former spouses.
God honors the righteous…and so should we celebrate the courageously divorced!
*Thankfully, God rescued him from that by letting him know the full story that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit.
**A version of this post ran previously.
