Lately I have encountered an unusually high number of people talking about divorce.  As a high school English teacher I get to read the writings of many teenagers who will open up their hearts to a listening ear.  Every year about half of them write, at some point, about their parents separating and the devastation that it caused them.  For a man who knows the Lord, leaving should be a despicable prospect that never even enters his mind. Many people enter into marriages that God never intended and has not blessed.  Many people enter into marriage with selfish expectations, even demands.  Many go into marriage with an escape plan in place.  Some go in with good intentions, but along the way become tired or get hurt and begin to wonder if there might be another way.  Even if we have made a terrible mistake, the Lord still "always leads us in His triumph in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

In this world it is easy to get used to leaving and begin left, especially if we fill our hearts and minds with those ideas through what we watch, listen to and spend our time around.  People leave each other, divorce, get fired, break contracts and sever ties.  But, God has sealed His people.  He has promised to never leave those who trust Him.  And, He calls us to do the same.  Even if we find ourselves in bad situations, and even if they are of our own making, we can still call on the Lord.  Turn to Him, confessing everything to the One who is able and wants to save your marriage.  Gentlemen, in love and sincere humility, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.  She needs to see God in you.  You are the man that she went all in with.  Your kids need to see the Lord in you.  The people who exist because of you look to you with faces that look like you and the one that you vowed to love faithfully for life.  They are a gift from God.  They need a fence post in their lives, and nobody else is in a position to do it like you.  Let the Lord teach you how to stand.