I took down my post from Wednesday blasting divorce. While I realize there's plenty that I said that may have been right, it wasn't done with the right spirit and it was speaking from ignorance. For those that read it, and especially for those that have been through a divorce, please accept my apologies.
While it's true that divorce causes many things to go wrong, including the spiritual, mental, and physical health of those involved, I did not mean to imply that divorce is wrong in all situations. I was railing against -- and that was something that should have tipped me off that I wasn't in the right frame of mind -- the situation described in the story: our society's callous and indifferent attitude toward divorce. There is a real and foundational difference between someone who is seeking their own happiness and those who have reason to fear for their safety and well-being. I have, in fact, advised for a divorce in some cases, specifically in the case of repeated infidelity and inability to receive biblical counseling. Unique and others were right to confront me, however, because I implied that divorce was never worth it. In some limited and specific cases, it definitely is. I don't mean to write a treatise on divorce, because others do that well enough.
The day after I wrote the post in question, God directed me to read James 3, which starts, very plainly,
Don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is
highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards.
And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every
time we open our mouths.
Guilty! *waving hand* Right here. Having a blog is a serious thing for a Christian, because "teachers are held to the highest standards." I let myself get off track. For those that have read my blog for a while, please keep me in your prayers. God is doing some work on me and He's clearly not finished. Thanks!
Good reminder on the risks of being a teacher. You never know who literally lives the things you write. It is a good thing to be cautious. I liked the entry on divorce, but did indeed read it from the girls' point of view. I didn't take it as a generalized comment on divorce, knowing that there are extreme situations that sometimes a spouse and definitely the children have no control over.
I so appreciate your heart. You remind me of....me sometimes! ;) Seriously, I read it (it still showed up in the RSS feed, apparently, because I just got around to reading it tonight while I'm catching up on my blog reading), and even though I have a divorce in my background, too, your post was not in the least bit offensive to me.
Thank you for being sensitive to those of us who have gone through that horrible ordeal, but please know that it didn't come across (to me, at least) as hurtful as you feared.
My esteem of you just went up even though I didn't even read the post in question. I like that you were so willing to admit that you may have been wrong to post. And are willing to retract it rather than be misunderstood.