Jesus Going Through Divorce?

Front cover image of "So You are a Believer...Who has been through Divorce..."

So You are a Believer...Who has been through Divorce...

What does Jesus look like going through a divorce?

This is the question I was faced with, in the summer of 2001, as a marriage to which I had devoted much effort and many prayers finally drew to an end.

As a Christian, I have set a life goal of learning to be conformed to the image of Christ, of trying to remember to face each life circumstance as Jesus would face it. Although I frequently fall short of the goal, my constant prayer is for God to change my heart, helping me to see each situation through His eyes, and to act accordingly.

As a father, I want to be the sort of father to my children that God is to us. As a husband, I want to love my wife as Christ loves the church. As an employee I want to serve my employer as Christ has served us. As a friend, I want to be the sort of friend that Jesus is to me.

Do I fall short of the goal? Of course I do! But, I come a lot closer than if I didn’t set the goal and prayerfully pursue it. Our Heavenly Father seems to derive great joy in giving His children a new perspective, and is quick to respond to sincere prayers asking for a godly view of a given situation.

So, in finding myself facing divorce, I went before the Father, in earnest prayer. “Lord,” I prayed, “show me what Jesus looks like going through a divorce. Please, help me to live my life, through this divorce, as You would.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth, than a rebuke sprang to mind, “Jesus would not be in a divorce!”

Oh, I cannot express how much that self-rebuke stung, or how disoriented it left me feeling! I had made it my life goal to try, in all circumstances, to learn to be like Christ. Now, I found myself in a life circumstance which I had never expected to be in, a circumstance in which I simply could not (at that time) picture Jesus ever being. How could I gain a godly perspective to act as Jesus would, if I was in a situation which Jesus would never be in? How could I invite God into a situation that I saw as ungodly?

Not knowing what else to do, I simply continued to pray, “God, please show me the way! Please help me to live my life the way You would want me to live it. Please, God, somehow, in the midst of this darkness, shine the light of Your glory, through my life.”

The above text is an excerpt from my book, So You are a Believer…Who has been through Divorce… in which I discuss God’s heart toward His children who have experienced divorce. 

Regardless of how each of us may feel about divorce, or how we may interpret scripture regarding marriage and divorce, divorce is a reality that affects the lives of many devoted Christians. 

How is a Christian to face divorce?  How are we to reflect God’s glory as we traverse the path through divorce and beyond?

A chance for you to win a free e-book!

I would like to invite each of you to leave a comment with your response to the opening question, “What does Jesus look like going through a divorce?”  From the people who leave a comment to this post, and are also subscribed to this blog, I will select three to receive a free e-book version of So You are a Believer…Who has been through Divorce…

For all of you who have been reading Redeemed! but not leaving comments, consider this a personal invitation to participate in the discussion.  For those of you who occasionally read posts on this blog, but have never subscribed to Redeemed! consider this a personal invitation to subscribe.  And you get a chance to win a free e-book!

So, here are the rules:

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  2. You must leave a comment on this post.  The comment does not have to be particularly inspirational or intellectual.  Preferably, the comment should be your response or reaction to the question, “What does Jesus look like going through a divorce?”  However, if that question does not inspire a response for you, then just leave a comment stating why you would like a copy of my book.  To leave a comment, just scroll to the bottom of the post and use the “Leave a Reply” text box.  If you are on the website Main Page, you must first click on the comment balloon to the right of the post title.
  3. If you would also like my FaceBook page, that would be greatly appreciated, but is not a requirement.
  4. The chance to win closes at 11:59 p.m., on Tuesday, March 13, 2012.  On Wednesday, I will choose three winners, who will each receive a free e-book copy of So You are a Believer…Who has been through Divorce… delivered to the e-mail address associated with their subscription to this blog .

So, please share with us, from your perspective, what does Jesus look like going through a divorce?

 [This post linked to God-Bumps , Beholding Glory , Graceful , Seedlings , Wellspring ]