Divorce

The gavel dropped today on the divorce of my parents with stark finality. 28 years, 3 children and 3 grandchildren testify to a love that is lost. This love was once strong and vibrant, but somewhere along the way, love began keeping a record of wrongs. Love is not supposed to be like that. It is supposed to conquer enemies and overcome obstacles on it's way to deeper intimacy and trust. I guess these romantic notions lose their effect when one is immersed in diapers, carpools, PTA meetings and all the rest.

Pure love was eventually eroded by selfishness. The eyes of the heart grew weary of beholding it's lover and turned to itself. The relationship descended in the direction of "unmet needs," which became as gods. There were seasons of jubilance, where love fought valiantly and God spoke clarity. These glorious seasons, however, departed and gave way to a winter of regret and hostility, where words thrash and hearts, as ice, harden.

Love is now gone. Questions abound.

What about my marriage? How will I fight? Will Christ be the center, and will He have supremacy over every thought? Or will I give in to a lustful laziness?

Each moment matters from the perspective of eternity. I am always moving in one of two directions. On one side is love for God, which includes loving my wife. On the other side is love for the world. I am always moving in one of these directions. When faced with a temptation, I can strengthen my faith and intimacy with God by remembering His promises, or I can give in to the passing pleasures of sin. Each temptation is an opportunity for me to learn obedience and to fight the good fight of faith.