Two people were joined as one at our farm Sunday and I was struck once again by the promises we make to love our beloved “for better or worse.” In speaking these words we willingly and knowingly bind ourselves to the action of remaining one even if you endure worse.
Judging from divorce statistics, it seems our words don’t mean much these days. The sad result? Broken homes, unhappy spouses, hurting children, broken finances, and the list goes on…
Like me, I know many of you have or are going through very difficult circumstances in your marriage and I empathize with you. Marriage is HARD work. But divorce isn’t any easier. In fact, the conservative Washington Family Council commissioned a survey on the state of marriage in Washington which concluded that 67 percent of divorced people wish they’d tried harder to work out differences with their ex.
Though these statistics represent a lot of regret, they serve to remind us struggling with marital discord to hang in there and fight for our marriages. Those of us who belong to Christ have access to a higher power to help turn things around. How? Read this statistic which proves that by applying the principles that Beautiful Womanhood promotes, you can help avoid divorce and strengthen your marriage! AmericanValues.org stated:
Spouses who turned their marriages around seldom reported that counseling played a key role. When husbands behaved badly, value-neutral counseling was not reported by any spouse to be helpful. Instead wives in these marriages appeared to seek outside help from others to pressure the husband to change his behavior. Men displayed a strong preference for religious counselors over secular counselors, in part because they believed these counselors would not encourage divorce.
Two points strike me about this finding.
- Without God and the values His Word inspires, spouses were seldom helped by counselors.
- When a wife sought outside help, it helped her marriage turn around.
While I’m NOT advocating using pressure to manipulate your husband to change, there IS spiritual pressure that is brought to bear upon a man when a woman discovers and obeys biblical principles. Where can a woman find outside help and learn about biblical principles? Beautiful Womanhood!
Through
- Seminars,
- small groups, and
- social media
Beautiful Womanhood equips mentors, encourage wives, and help you build community (outside help!) with other women going through similar situations and struggles.
Our VISION is to reduce the divorce rate within the church by 50% within the next 10 years!
We WILL NEED your help to do this and pray you will consider this YOUR MINISTRY!
- Please forward this blog to your married friends and ministry leaders
- Share our Facebook and Twitter (@MentoringWives) information
- Tell women about The Beautiful Wife–the curriculum used in small groups for wives!
God will be glorified, your friends will be encouraged, and we’ll be grateful for your help.
(If you are in an emotionally or physically abusive relationship, SEEK HELP NOW! What you are experiencing is NOT your fault! Contact the Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE, or call your church and ask to be referred to a reputable Christian counselor.)
