Daddy Won't Be Coming Home
Gospel preachers and elders due to the very nature of their work, witness
many joys, sorrows, and tragedies in the lives of other Christians. But few
experiences seem more tragic than the times when we witness the marriage of two
Christians end in divorce. Because this story may help someone avoid the
heartache, and since it may give some hope to the hopeless, we relate the
account of one such broken home.
The young lady in this particular case, after committing adultery, was so
filled with remorse that she admitted her sin to her husband and begged his
forgiveness. The young man agreed and accepted her back, but eventually found
that he was too tortured by the memory of what had occurred, and finally
obtained a divorce. Still in love with her husband and seeking reconciliation
to both him and God, the young woman did a very brave and commendable thing. She
wrote a very touching article expressing her agony and regret, in hope that she
might warn others not to make such a tragic mistake. As the mother of two young
children, now hurt by the breakup of their home, the article reflects the real
anguish of adultery and divorce:
“How can a mother explain to her children that by her unfaithfulness
their father left their home? How can she say she is sorry that they won’t have
parents to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? How can she
say, ‘I’m sorry you’ll miss the family life of a good Christian home,’ because
she was so wicked? How can she answer her child’s question, ‘Mommy, why did
daddy leave us; why doesn’t he come back home’? How can she say, ‘I’m
sorry’?
“I’ve spent many months torturing myself with these thoughts. I wish
there was a way I could reach out and help another mother who is listening to
the world, and is about to make the same mistake I
did.
“Three years ago I was a strong Christian, living and doing all I could
to please God. But I started keeping company with people of the world, those
things I knew to be wrong. I neglected to apply the verse, ‘Evil companions
corrupt good morals.’ I thought I could handle anything. Soon, I met a man who
convinced me that my good Christian husband was too strict with me. I needed to
break loose and live, and I was weak enough to
listen.
“Now today, I am raising my children alone. I cannot remarry and give
them a father that they so need. I don’t have that wonderful husband to hold me
when I’m hurting. I don’t have the man I promised to love the rest of my life. I
don’t have the man I married and loved, and still
love.
“You see, I committed adultery. I broke so many of God’s commandments. I
lied to cover what I was doing. I stole from my children their father. I
murdered my husband’s love for me. But most of all, I crucified Christ, over and
over again.
“I’m sorry, children, that I caused your daddy to leave home. I’m sorry
that I hurt your daddy so much. I’m sorry that I found out too late just how
deeply I love your daddy. But you see, children, now daddy doesn’t love
me.”
Such stories rarely have happy endings, but this is one of those
wonderful exceptions. Although it took a few years to effect, a reconciliation
took place and the marriage has been restored. Not only is the couple living
together happily again, but we notice wonderful strengths that have come from
the trials of the past. Is it possible for a couple’s love to be stronger than
ever after such a bitter struggle? This family is living proof that it can
happen with God’s help.
---Bob Dickey
Eastside Enlightener, 1-10-10;
I was in line at the cash register when a young lady entered the store
and greeted the young man ahead of me in the checkout
line.
"Hey, how's it goin'? Haven't seen you in awhile," she
chirped.
"I got married," said the young man.
"You did? How is it?"
"Okay, I guess. It's as good as you make
it."
"Yeah, I guess so. I ain't never tried it."
One does not have to be a sociologist doing a scientific study to see
that the divorce rate can't be anything but high in a culture where this sort of
conversation can take place. When young people of marriageable age think and
speak of marriage as something one merely "tries," it can hardly come as a
surprise when many of the marriages that are "tried" end up having
"failed."
Not long ago in a Bible class on the subject of "Marriage, Divorce, and
Remarriage," a young man asked, "What if you marry someone and find out
afterwards that they have been married previously and are unscripturally
divorced?" His question wasn't frivolous. We're living in a time when it can be
a mistake for young people in their early twenties, or even late teens, to
assume the person they are dating has never "tried" marriage before. Nowadays,
it often pays to ask for and demand an honest
answer.
The fact of the matter is: the scourge of divorce in our society won't abate until we return to the old-fashioned (but biblical!) notion that divorce is not even to be considered a thinkable option, at the beginning of a marriage or anywhere along the way. Jesus said, "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Mt. 19: 6).
---Gary Henry
TRENDS:
A national survey, entitled "Morning Habits of America," was taken by Roberts Krups, a manufacturer of small
appliances and home electronics. The survey listed the "Top 10 Morning Rituals," which the respondents said the "can't do
without."
They were:
1. Personal hygene 84%
2. Listen to radio 55%
3. Drink coffee 53%
4. Make bed 53%
5. Make breakfast 50%
6. Kiss spouse 49%
7. Read newspaper 35%
8. Watch television 30%
9. Exercise 22%
10. Iron clothes 11%
Noticeably absent in the list are prayer and Bible reading. Christian,
how do you start the day?
---via Glad Tidings of Good
Things