Week 131: Marriages and Separation
Join us in praying this week for couples going
through marital separation. Although separation from a spouse can be
necessary because of abusive and/or addictive behavior, marital separation is
not a cure-all; in fact, it can lead to issues that make reconciliation even
more difficult.
When separation is viewed as just a way to avoid
the stresses of marital disharmony, it can lead to a false peace that provides
no positive movement toward the resolution of marital problems. The
longer that “hiatus” continues the harder it is for couples to reenter the
difficult process of healing a broken marriage.
Separation can deepen feelings of failure and
hopelessness and chip away at a couple’s commitment to their relationship as
they experience the very real physical withdrawal from one another. This
physical withdrawal, when coupled with the emotional distance almost always
present in broken marriages, can make marital infidelity more of a temptation.
Finally, even though parenting during the turmoil
of a contentious marriage is hard, parenting during a separation can actually
be harder. The simple logistics can be harder and finances can be more
strained. The emotional strain of being separated from children and the
guilt of having created a difficult situation for them can only add to the
stresses of the marital relationship.
Please pray that couples in the midst of a marital
separation will
•
Keep the lines of communication with
each other open
•
Redeem the time to work toward
real resolutions of their marital issues
•
Seek the help of a trained
marriage counselor
•
Resist the temptation to give in
to extramarital affairs
•
Escape the false notion that
separation can only lead to divorce
•
Seek the healing of God for hurts
that are only deepened by the separation
• Know
how to answer the tough questions of their children
without vilifying the other
spouse and poisoning the
parent/child relationship
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