For those who consider divorce to be an easy answer to marriage problems, there is an increasing amount of evidence to the contrary. First of all, the damage done by divorce is devastating. Research has proven that the damage of divorce on children not only lasts for a lifetime, but is also transferred to their children. Adults tell me that going through a divorce is worse than death. Businesses experience up to two years in lost productivity from employees going through a divorce. In addition, more recent research proves that the vast majority of people who divorce are no happier than unhappy couples who stay married. The reason for this is because when divorce occurs, you simply exchange one set of problems for new ones.
Fascinating enough, additional research yielded that among unhappy couples who stayed married five years later, almost eighty percent rated their marriages as happy. The greatest turnaround was reported by couples who were the unhappiest five years earlier.
No fault divorce came to us with the promise that it would make divorce less common and less painful. What a lie! Divorce has become an epidemic and it is still devastating. The legal conveniences of no fault divorce can in no way counteract the serious emotional consequences on adults and children. In fact, the greatest marriages I’ve ever seen are those that have gone through very difficult times and have lasted through them.
Every marriage goes through difficult times. In fact, the greatest marriages I’ve ever seen are those that have gone through very difficult times and have lasted through them. This is certainly true for Karen and I. We have now been married for thirty-three years and have a great marriage. On the way here, we’ve had some very tough times and were on the brink of divorce almost thirty years ago. The choice to stay together has paid huge dividends.
If you want to have a happy life and marriage, lose the word divorce and don’t believe the lie that it brings happiness. In most cases, divorce is the answer to marriage problems in the same way that cutting your arm off is the answer to a broken bone.
Our society is reeling under the effects of broken homes and broken hearts. Many today are fearful of getting married because of all the pain they see. The truth is marriage works when you enter into it with a firm commitment. The vows we say during our wedding ceremonies are designed for this purpose. When we say, “For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part…”, we are making an essential commitment that lays a firm foundation for a successful marriage.
These vows worked for many years in our country until the lie of easy divorce took hold. Since then, it has been a trail of tears. Spare yourself the heartache. Tough it out…and when the devil tells you the lie about easy divorce don’t believe it.