“And why one[referring to marriage]?  Because He [God] was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.  ‘I hate divorce’, says the Lord God.” Mal. 2:15-16

Seven year old Patrick was enjoying his time with his long distance grandpa at his Uncle Charlie’s wedding and reception.  As the bride and groom took the floor to dance to their wedding song, Patrick leaned over to grandpa and said, “That’s the awful wedded wife with Uncle Charlie.”

Young Patrick’s comment may be amusing, but the reality is that the erosion of marriage commitments, and even the meaning of marriage, in the last 50 years is far from amusing – it’s disastrous for most children raised in such an environment.  We know that children who must live with the realities of divorce learn to see life without unconditional love.  They soon learn that a promise has no meaning.  They become an unblessed generation gripped by the break faith curse.

Marriage between and a man and a woman was designed by God in His wisdom to produce and raise godly offspring.  Unbridled divorce has sprung from unguarded spirits and hardened hearts producing countless unblessed offspring.  Is it any wonder that God hates divorce!  If we had shared God’s perspective and attitude towards divorce, I wonder what impact that would have had on our prisons, our schools, our neighborhoods, gangs and drugs — our mortuaries? 

Even so-called Christians provide no better example than those who are outside the faith.  We, who ought to show the world how to bless our children and raise godly offspring, live instead as practical “atheists” when it comes to marriage vows.  Our self-centered, destructive attitudes are no different than the rest of the world.  We are guilty of building a legacy of cursing, rather than blessing, for our posterity.

You may be one of those divorce statistics, or you may have grown up as a child of divorce. That’s a reality that cannot be changed, but your heart can. Repentance, forgiveness, and the embrace of God’s grace and transforming love will powerfully testify to your grandchildren and the world of a better way.  It’s time to replace the “awful wedded wife” caricature with a beautiful portrait called “Till Death Do Us Part”. By God’s grace you can change a curse into blessing for an unblessed generation!

FAN THE FLAME
How do we, today’s grandparents, break this curse? How will our grandchildren learn what it means to love unconditionally and to honor their promises?  By our example!  Be transparent and authentic with your grandchildren about your own flaws and failures.  Let your grandchildren see in your current relationships, and in your attitudes towards past relationships, the value of agape love and keeping one’s promises. 

GRANDPAUSE:
“Everything depends upon the kind of God one believes in.” – George MacDonald