Even when filing the divorce papers, the faithful spouse really did not choose this outcome.
What they chose was a marriage free of infidelity!
The filing of the papers was the choice they had left after the choice of the cheater to destroy the agreed upon future by being unfaithful.
The good options–the preferred option–was taken off the table by the cheater.
The tiresome straw man–that faithful spouses are just looking for an excuse to divorce–is a tired one.
Who in their right mind really ever chooses to be traumatized like one is when soul raped?! Personally, I would look for a far less painful way to exit a marriage than going that route for an “excuse.”
Such a straw man does not do justice to the fact that faithful spouses actually do value marriage and actually value marital fidelity–obviously–more than many–namely, cheaters.
That is why failure to be faithful in the marriage is treated by faithful spouses as a “deal breaker.”
They understand–correctly and biblically (see Jeremiah 3:8 and Matthew 1:19)–that godly marriage requires fidelity.
Faithful spouses who divorce did not seek out this mess. It is past time other Christians understand this and stop treating them as if they did!
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*A version of this post ran previously.
