Divorced Christians: Do you relate?

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K

kenandbarbies

Guest
#1
I am divorced.
A statement that I never imagined I would make growing up.
The reason for this post is to see if anyone can relate to me.
I have been divorced for 3 1/2 years and I still feel like I am damaged.
A big part of me feels like I am not allowed to date or be married again.
I hope that my ex will change, that he will get in touch with me, etc.
I guess my question to my readers is: Do you feel like you can't move on after divorce? Do you feel that if the first marriage doesn't work then there shouldn't be a second?
 
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BeeD

Guest
#2
I feel for you and am sorry to hear you are going through this. I don't feel like if the first marriage ends that there shouldn't be a second one. But everyone has different feelings and different opinions and soon, when people began to answer your post you will see how very different they are. I can only tell you that if you are not ready to move on then don't force yourself too. But if the time comes when you feel like you want companionship, and to be married again, then I would say you should remarry and not condemn yourself to a life alone.
 
J

jb800m

Guest
#3
i know there is life after divorce.... and i will say ( and i know many mockers will say otherwise in the forums lol) that another marriage is allowed, of course that is if It is the will of God in the first place... and i know that spending a lot of time dwelling on the things that may have been wrong or were wrong in that failed marriage....but there does some a place where you need to seek God's answer on this where to wait, whether to enjoy single life ( and yes being single has great and awesome aspects) whether to be married once again...
I do know the feeling of never believing i would end a marriage in divorce.. i am glad that ppl still think marriage should be for life... divorce of course is not something to have come to as a form of moving on but more of no other choice ( yes i await the debaters here too, saying God is always able to health any relationship and not ever re-marry again) ...

Dear father I ask that you meet with this sister and fill the void in her life with you father, let her past be healed... i pray for the ex that he is also healed.. I ask you to clearly show both of them Your vision and give them strength and courage to walk it out as you plan it to... bless both of them.. In Jesus name amen
 
May 3, 2013
8,719
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#4
Oh!

One more thing: If you start and moved on tell them who you are or what you expect (your past has nothing to do with the person YOU NOW ARE).

While I have tried to move on I do pay attention on how many children a person has.

If a person plans to get married, she or he needs to know if that person comes alone or with a combo of children and indefinite problems: Wether these might be economic, mental, physical health or life span reduced.

At my age I have heard people concerned on "men looking for a wife/nurses" or they, women, looking for a man who takes care or her children and herself (his wife care, his loving attention and devotions are a must if he is the Mr Right a woman chose well without selfish interest on her personal gain).
 
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BeeD

Guest
#5
( yes i await the debaters here too, saying God is always able to health any relationship and not ever re-marry again)
I definitely will not be one of those debaters. There are many, many marriages that God doesn't fix...we don't know why, he just doesn't. There was this pastor....I will say his name, Joel Osteen, who gave a testimony about how his sister's marriage was in the middle of divorce. He said that their whole entire family was praying for God to not let it happen and to fix the marriage. He said no matter how much they prayed and how much they believed, his sister's husband divorce her anyway. He said they didn't understand why God didn't save the marriage because they know how God feels about marriage and divorce and so they didn't understand why he didn't save his sister's marriage. He said they later saw it for the blessing it was because later God sent a man into his sister's life who was an awesome man, who loved God and his sister. Now his sister is in a wonderful, God centered marriage and she is very happy. With testimonies like this how can people even say that God has a blanket law for everyone with no exceptions. People are different, situations are different...you would think that they would know that God is wise enough to see this and deal with each situation separately. Which he does.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,086
1,749
113
#6
Ultimately, what we think doesn't matter that much unless it matches up with what God thinks.

Jesus said that he that puts away his wife, except it be for fornication, and marries another commits adultery, and he that marries her that is divorced commits adultery. In I Corinthians 7, Paul passes on commandments of the Lord. To husbands he commanded not to put away their wives. To wives he said do not depart from your husband, but if you depart, to remain unmarried or be reconciled to your husband.

If I were in your shoes, I might just stay single or else reconcile. I don't know your situation though. Is your husband a believer? Has he remarried? Is he a save person to be around?

You should pray seriously before doing this, but I you did call your ex and ask him out to lunch and eventually discuss reconciling, it might not hurt anything except potentially your pride or your feelings. You could take it slow and keep inviting him out for meals. You could start up saying you want to invite him out to discuss something with him. When he asks you, you can tell him, if it's true, that even if you are divorced, you still miss him and want to talk to him, and then keep inviting him. Or if you have something you haven't asked forgiveness for from way back when, you could do that when you first meet, and just ask him out to talk after that. I knew a divorced couple that kept hanging out together after the divorce. It's weird, I know. They probably could have reconciled if the man hadn't gotten a girlfriend. I've known other couples who reconciled after being divorced for a long time.

I saw a video that had aired on TV where a pastor gave a testimony. A man in his church wanted to marry a woman he was dating. The pastor prayed, and he told the man that God said that this woman he wanted to marry wasn't his wife. The man said he had married many, many years before, and divorced after a short time, I'm thinking it was less than a year. Eventually, he recontacted his ex wife. She hadn't married. They got married again and worked it out.

If it's one of those divorces where someone was violent or a drug addict or committed adultery, that could be a lot more difficult to deal with, though God is powerful enough to deal with all those things. If it was just a case of not being able to get along and either of you has 'grown as a person', it might not be so difficult to work out.
 
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
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#7
I definitely will not be one of those debaters. There are many, many marriages that God doesn't fix...we don't know why, he just doesn't. There was this pastor....I will say his name, Joel Osteen, who gave a testimony about how his sister's marriage was in the middle of divorce. He said that their whole entire family was praying for God to not let it happen and to fix the marriage. He said no matter how much they prayed and how much they believed, his sister's husband divorce her anyway. He said they didn't understand why God didn't save the marriage because they know how God feels about marriage and divorce and so they didn't understand why he didn't save his sister's marriage. He said they later saw it for the blessing it was because later God sent a man into his sister's life who was an awesome man, who loved God and his sister. Now his sister is in a wonderful, God centered marriage and she is very happy. With testimonies like this how can people even say that God has a blanket law for everyone with no exceptions. People are different, situations are different...you would think that they would know that God is wise enough to see this and deal with each situation separately. Which he does.
Hi, Mrs Beed!

If a person had posted something like "Dead Christians: Do you relate", could I also challenge people to be dead? As if it were God´s will to bless them later on? I will not, though each person is getting aware of the risks and the decisions they´re going to make ON THEIR PROBLEMS... Happily a divorce is not as terminal as death!

If I broke a thing, if I´m guilty or responsable for it, I have to pay my share and fortunatelly, God can save a person from death and from suffering minor pains like being divorce, I also agree with you in BOTH situations you´ve mwentioned (undergoing the dead of a loved one or facing divorce) but I´ll not bear responsability in telling people "get divorced" neither telling them "don´t be divorced" because that pain affects people individually (and, perhaps, children and families around those suffering that exhausting loss).

After reading your ideas I was reminded of this book (When God doesn´t make sense, Dr Bod Dobson) I read (in spanish here) but I´ll give the readers of this thread one more link so you can get it -the way you want it- to grasp and idea on how GOD has permited "things like these" to improve us spiritually, to grow more. Because He lacks nothing IN hIS STOCKS and respects peoples choices. (I guess this means FREE WILL IN MARRYING AND DIVORCING) :)

Link I said:
When God Doesn't Make Sense - Good News Magazine | United Church of God
 
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dabodab

Guest
#8
I am divorced.
A statement that I never imagined I would make growing up.
The reason for this post is to see if anyone can relate to me.
I have been divorced for 3 1/2 years and I still feel like I am damaged.
A big part of me feels like I am not allowed to date or be married again.
I hope that my ex will change, that he will get in touch with me, etc.
I guess my question to my readers is: Do you feel like you can't move on after divorce? Do you feel that if the first marriage doesn't work then there shouldn't be a second?
Hi kenandbarbies,

Yes I can relate. I was separated from my first husband at 26 years old with two small children. Because he was on drugs I would not return until he got help and cleaned up. To my surprise he served divorce papers after 9 months of separation. Why I'm telling you this is, when I wouldn't sign the papers he told me 'I've moved on in my life'. Some things you just never forget, and your question brought this to mind.

As for moving on, I cannot relate because I spent the next 15 years looking for 'Mr. Right'. I spent absolutely no time trying to understand God's will for me. After 5 years I walked away from Christ. Why I'm saying this is, God has a plan for each one of us. We will discover it as we turn to Him to find it.

It sounds like maybe you are in a place that God wants to make Himself very real to you. Do you belong to a church body? Do you have Christian friends? Are you yourself a Christian? God wants to be the center of our lives! When He is, you will know what to do with regards to marriage or singleness.

I'm currently living alone for the last five years. I absolutely love living alone. God knows I'm willing to do whatever He wants me to. That makes me free to enjoy where I am now. Not being accountable to another living in my household frees me up to focus on where I've been and where I'm going. And all that relates to how I got there and how to get there. :)

I also never believed I'd be divorced. Being divorced feels like when you can't find your other shoe. It's supposed to be close by the other one.
 
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Bate

Guest
#9
Oh Father!
This pushes me to face the wall and find answers!!
:O
 
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ducka71

Guest
#10
I have recently, very recently separated from my husband of 23yrs and we've been together for 26yrs, have 3 teenage children 19, 18 and 14, I have struggled with this for 12-15months, sought councilling and prayed so much but I just am not in love with him, he has always been a loving husband and wonderful father and is devastated, wants and deserves a reason why which I just don't know myself to give him. I feel selfish and so guilty but I just can't stay any longer and really needed to get out before it turned ugly...I am no help to you at all but if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me I'd love to hear it.....
 
S

sunburn

Guest
#11
I have recently, very recently separated from my husband of 23yrs and we've been together for 26yrs, have 3 teenage children 19, 18 and 14, I have struggled with this for 12-15months, sought councilling and prayed so much but I just am not in love with him, he has always been a loving husband and wonderful father and is devastated, wants and deserves a reason why which I just don't know myself to give him. I feel selfish and so guilty but I just can't stay any longer and really needed to get out before it turned ugly...I am no help to you at all but if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me I'd love to hear it.....
This is the sort of story that pains me a lot....all I can say poor children...God help them...
Hopefully God can restore them and your husband in his right to find someone to love him.
 
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dabodab

Guest
#12
I have recently, very recently separated from my husband of 23yrs and we've been together for 26yrs, have 3 teenage children 19, 18 and 14, I have struggled with this for 12-15months, sought councilling and prayed so much but I just am not in love with him, he has always been a loving husband and wonderful father and is devastated, wants and deserves a reason why which I just don't know myself to give him. I feel selfish and so guilty but I just can't stay any longer and really needed to get out before it turned ugly...I am no help to you at all but if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me I'd love to hear it.....
I'm so sorry for you. I think many, if not most, of us have felt that way towards our spouse at some point. I can totally relate.

Maybe be you should take your post and create a new thread, where your concerns can be answered and others who are struggling or dealing with what you have shared can benefit from the convo.
 
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dabodab

Guest
#13
If you don't create a new thread, I'll come back and give you testimony and encouragement! But for now, praying for you ducka71.
 
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dabodab

Guest
#14
I have recently, very recently separated from my husband of 23yrs and we've been together for 26yrs, have 3 teenage children 19, 18 and 14, I have struggled with this for 12-15months, sought councilling and prayed so much but I just am not in love with him, he has always been a loving husband and wonderful father and is devastated, wants and deserves a reason why which I just don't know myself to give him. I feel selfish and so guilty but I just can't stay any longer and really needed to get out before it turned ugly...I am no help to you at all but if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me I'd love to hear it.....
You said you feel selfish and guilty, and also said it hasn't turned 'ugly' yet. Both of those are very good news! So you're safe and not in danger, just have that terrible loss of love feeling for your husband. You've been living on your own for about a month, did you take at least the youngest child, or have you abandoned your child too? Because really you are abandoning your husband. Call it what you will, your husband doesn't want you to go, it's likely your kids are in disagreement too, and you're feeling selfish and guilty. All these testify to what you are doing and how it is affecting everyone.

Have be you thought simply about taking a vacation instead? Or finding something that makes you happy, besides your family? Not knowing you it's obviously difficult to suggest stuff, not sure what kind of advice you want either but I speak from my heart when I say the following.

Your husband and your children need you. They love you and want to feel secure in your love for them. You don't need to FEEL love towards your husband to accomplish this, only pray for God to change your heart. God will do this. Sometimes it is by being obedient in doing the things we know are our responsibility.

You said you feel selfish and guilty over your leaving. There's a reason for that. If you continue to follow what you want instead of your moral responsibility and what you know your family needs and likely what God expects, it's very likely your heart will follow! The word says in Hebrews 3,

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
I left my children's father with my children many years ago. There was no peace for me. I tried and tried to abandon the thought that leaving was not God's will. I never was able to. Over 25 years of wrong choices and pain because I couldn't get past that one wrong move. My children suffered too. Their father is not well. It all turned out horrible.

Go back to your husband. Know that two are better than one. Your kids need you both. Your husband can help you. You can help him. Tell him your feelings. Let him take some of the burden of those, maybe he wants to! I bet you find him open and willing to accept you despite your feelings for him. Most of all, commit your way to God and obey his commands. They are not burdensome. We love God only because he first loved us. Give your hubby a chance to show you that unconditional love, too.

Maybe you start to love more than you ever imagined possible.
 
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dabodab

Guest
#15
I have recently, very recently separated from my husband of 23yrs and we've been together for 26yrs, have 3 teenage children 19, 18 and 14, I have struggled with this for 12-15months, sought councilling and prayed so much but I just am not in love with him, he has always been a loving husband and wonderful father and is devastated, wants and deserves a reason why which I just don't know myself to give him. I feel selfish and so guilty but I just can't stay any longer and really needed to get out before it turned ugly...I am no help to you at all but if anyone has any suggestions or advice for me I'd love to hear it.....
I want to say one more thing.

Reach out to people who know you, hopefully you have a church body who is familiar with you and your family. Tell them what you have said here. Be honest. Me, I found a group of 'new' people to confide in not real familiar with my family or me. I manipulated things to look a little different, such as 'I've done all I can. He's the wrong one'. This doesn't sound like you, since you've been so honest here. Continue your honesty and speak with people who love you and care about your situation!!! Reach out, even if you're embarrassed, and say the truth about how you feel. Let others tell you their truths. Truth should not be scary.
 
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ducka71

Guest
#16
Thank you for your words, we are still living in the same house at present until we find seperate lodgings which we are both looking for, our children remain in our house and all had the choice of who they wanted to go with with us both having open door policies that our children can come and go between us as they so wish...while my husband is devastated and I remain feeling guilty about not being able to stay ( I'm sure some people would think thats a good thing and I'm getting what I deserve feeling that guilt) , it is amicable and not ugly at present and I pray it remains so.....
 
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Kamaroo

Guest
#17
As a divorcee I can relate. It may take years before a feeling of being totally healed. Because of what's addressed in the Bible about remarriage its easy to interperet marriage as an 'only once' thing. God wishes for your happiness. The most painful trials often strengthen our relationship with God in many ways. Learn and grow, don't wait for others to reach your level, it may hinder you from blessings that are yet to come.
 
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Osiyo

Guest
#18
Dear Sister in Christ Jesus, first off lets see what God says about this:

Question: "What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?"

Answer:
First of all, no matter what view one takes on the issue of divorce, it is important to remember Malachi 2:16: “I hate divorce, says the LORD God of Israel.” According to the Bible, marriage is a lifetime commitment. “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6). God realizes, though, that since marriages involve two sinful human beings, divorces are going to occur. In the Old Testament, He laid down some laws in order to protect the rights of divorcees, especially women (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Jesus pointed out that these laws were given because of the hardness of people’s hearts, not because they were God’s desire (Matthew 19:8).

The controversy over whether divorce and remarriage is allowed according to the Bible revolves primarily around Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9. The phrase “except for marital unfaithfulness” is the only thing in Scripture that possibly gives God’s permission for divorce and remarriage. Many interpreters understand this “exception clause” as referring to “marital unfaithfulness” during the “betrothal” period. In Jewish custom, a man and a woman were considered married even while they were still engaged or “betrothed.” According to this view, immorality during this “betrothal” period would then be the only valid reason for a divorce.

However, the Greek word translated “marital unfaithfulness” is a word which can mean any form of sexual immorality. It can mean fornication, prostitution, adultery, etc. Jesus is possibly saying that divorce is permissible if sexual immorality is committed. Sexual relations are an integral part of the marital bond: “the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). Therefore, any breaking of that bond by sexual relations outside of marriage might be a permissible reason for divorce. If so, Jesus also has remarriage in mind in this passage. The phrase “and marries another” (Matthew 19:9) indicates that divorce and remarriage are allowed in an instance of the exception clause, whatever it is interpreted to be. It is important to note that only the innocent party is allowed to remarry. Although it is not stated in the text, the allowance for remarriage after a divorce is God’s mercy for the one who was sinned against, not for the one who committed the sexual immorality. There may be instances where the “guilty party” is allowed to remarry, but it is not taught in this text.

Now hope4us, you are standing on holy ground, so please remove your spiritual shoes. I am not preaching a divorce, but that is what most likely would be the "best" answer, and our God in His mercy has stated that as in your case you are free to divorce. But it would also be a "blessing to you if forgiveness is shown". Whatever you do go with His grace, His peace and His blessings in a mighty way, will be praying for you. And please keep in might, this is not what I or anybody else says, this is what God says. Be blessed and why not?