by Benjamin and Alisha Walker
One of our mantras is divorce is not an option. We wrote a blog post called 12 ways to have a loving marriage, at the top of the list is divorce is not an option, but what if it really is? What if the relationship you are in has gotten so bad, that you just can’t take it? How do you handle that? Where does that conversation begin and with whom? So many people come to us in throws of emotion, because let’s admit it, deciding to get a divorce is emotional. You are deciding to break apart from that one person that you said you would love and cherish for better or for worse in sickness and in health”.... so what happened?
The thought of divorce comes when you have had enough of whatever the issue or the issues are. You are frustrated, angry, overwhelmed and you may even feel that there is no turning back. Your thought may be, especially around this time of year, I need to make some changes in my life because I want the new year to be better and either we are going to change or I’m going to change without you.
You are not alone, can I be a little transparent. There have been times in our marriage, that I have contemplated divorce. I even tell a story of the first year of our marriage when I felt so overwhelmed with the new life that we had that I felt like Harriet Tubman on the underground railroad, a slave who wanted freedom. I really and truly just wanted to run away, get away from the situation and most importantly my spouse. I felt like he was the one that was the cause of my unhappiness and that if I left him I could go on with my life and be happier. The not so lovely side of marriage is what people don’t talk about or if they do it’s when they are at their breaking point and are about to leave anyway.
When you are planning a wedding, everyone talks about the dress, the colors, how many people you are inviting”...., but people rarely talk about the trying times of marriage and what it takes to get through them, so let’s talk about them.
Marriage is hard work. It takes commitment, persistence, a willing spirit, fidelity, forgiveness, grace, compassion, love, trust, and God. A lack of any of these can and will cause a crack in the foundation of your marriage. As a result of a lack of any of these you can find yourself with divorce being an option. Ok so let me ask you, what are some of the reasons you want to leave? (Take out a sheet of paper and write these down. If this is your first encounter with our writing, we do give homework, but it takes work to achieve any goal including marriage) What are the reasons that you would stay? What are the top 5 issues that are currently causing stress in your marriage?(put them in rank order from 1 ““ 5) If you were able to change any of the stressors which one would you choose that could have the most impact on the rest of them. People often have many stressors going on at once in their lives, unfortunately their relationships usually get the brunt of the issues going on. So if you are having a hard time at work when you come home, who usually gets it, your spouse. If the children have irritated you, who normally has to hear about it, your spouse. When your spouse gets on your nerves, who has to hear about it, your spouse.
The decision to divorce is not an easy one and definitely one you should not take lightly. The feelings that you’re experiencing are all over the place and you’re really not sure or if you’ve thought about it long enough, you may be numb to what is going on because you have virtually already given up. If there is a glimpse of hope for your marriage and you have even a mustard seed of faith, read on.
Steps to save your marriage:
- Prioritize marriage ““ Make your marriage a priority. Remove those things that have gotten in the way of you prioritizing your marriage. Marriage needs time and commitment to heal. If that means you sitting out a semester of school, giving up that part time job or at least cutting back on the hours, cutting back on the kids activities. Cutting back on those things that were really a way for you to avoid your spouse and the issues you face.
- Change your position ““ If you haven’t already, pray. If you have, continue. Get on your knees daily with the intent of hearing what God has to say about your marriage. Ask Him for His help in your marriage. Don’t pray for God to change your spouse.
- Regroup ““ The two of you have to come up with a game plan as to what you want and need to do for your marriage. You both have to be committed .
- Refocus ““ Focus your attention on what you can change to make the relationship better and stop focusing on what you think your partner has done wrong. Take the negative lens off and begin to see them in a positive way.
- Get help ““ Get help from a professional, not your momma, your boys, your girls, fraternity or sorority. You need help from someone who is going to help guide you out of the situation. This person or people should be able to help you set goals as well as hold you accountable for the changes you have committed to make. They should be someone who is able to empathize but also able to confront when they see that you are only giving 10% instead of 100%.
- Learn to problem solve ““ All marriages have conflict and problems. Learning how to solve your problems in a way that doesn’t cause any more conflict is key. You and your spouse have to learn to deal with your issues without it turning into a full blown argument even with the big things that have typically caused issues. The truth of the matter is that problem solving is the crux of issues for most couples. The skill to discuss financial issues as well as sexual concerns is the same, the topic is just different. You have to learn to problem solve whether you stay in this relationship or move on. Truthfully if you decide to divorce, problem-solving will still be an issue, just the problems have changed. Instead of dealing with the problems, you never help around the house, how can I get him to help; the problem is now when and who will the kids spend Christmas with next year.
- Recommit ““ recommit to your marriage. If you are thinking of divorce at some point you lost the commitment you once had. Get rid of all people, places and things that get in the way of your commitment.
- Forgive ““ Yes we said the F word. This is a HUGE one in marriage. Forgiveness is necessary for marriage. Your spouse will continue to do things to hurt you even when they don’t mean to. In order to move past hurts you have to forgive even if they haven’t apologized. I’m not saying they shouldn’t apologize, but if you wait on the apology, you may get stuck focusing on what they did or didn’t do and that can cause you to focus on the negative rather than focusing on any of the good in your marriage. (We will be doing a post on forgiveness in the coming weeks)
- Mustard seed faith – Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “˜Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20 If you have even the faith of a mustard seed, even the mountain of a divorce can be moved.
- Be willing ““ You have to be willing to make changes, accept changes from your spouse, forgive, give grace, and trust and allow God to move.
Colure Weddings says
This is a great article! So much sound advice! Thanks for sharing!!
Misstasha7 says
Lovely article! Excellent advice…
Popi says
Great advice, but I have to say I don’t know how people stay married (happily) without God…
Brenda Mosher says
If it wasn’t meant to be its not going to work no matter how hard you work on it. It takes 2 to make it work!
Tony says
So you do your part and do your work, regardless what you think or don’t think your spouse is doing. You are responsible for your part of that it takes two equation, if you give up, then you failed to do your part.
I agree, it takes two. I simply disagree that it’s your job to judge if your spouse is doing his part. It’s your job to make sure you never quit doing your part. If you quit, then you cannot succeed.
AB says
You’re right. It does take 2. You and God to change the outcome.
Darken says
@Brenda how can you say if its not meant to be its not going to work? How does one determine if its meant to be? Is it because one may not actively work on bettering self and their marriage and they give up or the love that brought them together in beginning was not real and God allowed them to make a mockery of what he rejoices in? I think that sometimes we as people want easy options and instead of making marriage relationship important it can appear to takes the backseat because with life happening your spouse is your rock and all you do is for betterment of the family. But a spouse can feel slighted because most times they don’t get the attention they got in the beginning phase. When thus happens people go in separate paths and it is hard to get back to living united. Im living through trying to make a marriage work and my spouse says he wants out. He thinks its for the best. On one hand I’m tired and because he says it will make us both happy and then on the other hand I know that the love is still there, we are still attracted to one another we both share values of how we want family life to be. So when I think of “its not meant to be” or “it takes 2” I ponder if I’m wasting my time or trying to take the easy way out. Articles like this and other little reminders are like confirmation to hang in there but its hard I have to admit. I struggled with this daily
Fighter says
You hit it on the nail. My wife wants a divorce and we have separated. In a nutshell, I let her push me to push her. I am the one who wants to fight after all the wrong done on both sides. Unfortunately she is not trying to hear me right now and pursuing another relationship. I walk around forcing a smile and like things are okay and purposly don’t call or see her for days unless it’s about the kids. Although it is liberating being on my own and I am learning things about myself, behind closed doors I am a mess. All I can do is leave it in Gods hands now and pray for the best. Now that the smoke has cleared and we can now talk, I have actually conveyed to her on how I feel , she listened and told me why she felt the way she does. Thanks for the inspiration…
Coffeeatx73 says
@Fighter. Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, I,m fighting the same fight. I,m taking my hands off, & giving it to GOD. That to can be difficult at times. Because then it feels like I,m not fighting, or I.e, not doing my part.GOD BLESS.
The Marriage Coaches says
Thank you for your comments. We wanted to provide options of help for those people who have contemplated divorce because so many people at this time of year want to make changes. Make sure you share this information with friends or family members that you know are thinking of divorce. Sometimes, even if one can hold the hope for the relationship, it can be saved.
Apple says
Marriage is a wonderful concept. Combing lives takes maturity, kindness, maturity and balance. When people stop being nice and continue to have kids, pay bills, “just to” stay marriage in my opinion is toxic.
Julia says
If only we had this advice before Mommas and friends called themselves helping. Maybe I will have better success with my next.
Anonymous says
robinsonbuckler @ yahoo. com did a love spell for me about 3 days ago and the results came out miraculous!