Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Roses For The Ex-Wife


He asked if he should send roses to his ex-wife for Mother's Day.  Dennis Prager said that he saw no problem with that since it would be honoring the wife of his children.  Then Dennis asked why they got divorced.  I quickly blurted out to Ken, "She wasn't happy!"  The man then told Dennis, "I was happy and she was not.  I couldn't make her happy no matter how hard I tried."  Bingo!

Dennis then said this made him so sad.  One self could only make one self happy.  I thought, "No, only Jesus can make us happy."  As I thought about it, however, I changed my mind.  There are a lot of unhappy Christian who love Jesus and happy unbelievers who don't love Jesus.  It really is a choice.

So many women marry thinking their husbands should make them happy.  They want to be nurtured and cherished.  They want their husbands to understand their moods and sympathize with them.  They want them to be romantic and gentle.  I know.  I speak from experience.

Then we go about it completely the wrong way.  We pout, manipulate, get angry, and try to change them and make them love us.  We are called to love unconditionally and work on changing ourselves by being transformed through the renewing of our mind with God's truth.  I have found that the one most unhappy in the marriage is usually the one who has the ability to change it the most which, in my experience, has always been the wife.

Doing things God's way and obeying Him when He commands us to Rejoice always, again I say rejoice and learning to be content is when we find we are truly happy.  Manipulating, controlling, and pouting to try and get our way will only bring pain and unhappiness.

Oh, how I wish I could mentor this man's wife.  There are so many women I would love to mentor and teach them the ways of God and what pleasant paths His ways are for them.  She cared more for her happiness than the happiness of her husband or her children.  In turn, she made them all unhappy.

Divorce isn't the answer.  Pouring love upon others even when they seem to be unlovable is the answer.  Love covers over a multitudes of sin.

He that handles a matter wisely shall find good: 
and whoso trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
Proverbs 16:20

Comments (7)

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Thanks for this post Lori!I feel that you are my mentor and that my marriage has improved since I started reading your blog several months ago.Thank you and God bless you!
This is so true, Lori! Such a great, needed post in our day. Thank you!
This is very interesting Lori- and no, divorce is definitely not the answer. I'm a "child of divorce" as they call it, and it really did a toll on me in my teen years, even though both of my parents loved me and cared for me, it is never a good thing when a home splits. Thank you for the reminder that, when looking at our spouse and wanting to change them, to think about what we need to change and seeking the Lord in that!

~Nicole, Working Kansas Homemaker
Cynthia Swenson's avatar

Cynthia Swenson · 671 weeks ago

Jesus DOES make us happy! I'm not sure what to think about the grouchy Christians ( I know a few) Mostly I give them grace & pray for them because I have been in a bad mood myself! Not all who claim Christ are truly following Him. I don't really like to think about that but it is true. The wheat grows with the weeds until the harvest and we have to wait until the harvest to see God separate the two. I want to fellowship with the happy people! Love & prayers, in Jesus, Cynthia
1 reply · active 671 weeks ago
Jesus brings us joy and contentment, but be careful not to confuse those things with happiness. Happiness depends on situations and outside influences. Joy and contentment come from within and are placed there by God our Father.
Melissa M.'s avatar

Melissa M. · 671 weeks ago

"She cared more for her happiness than the happiness of her husband or her children. In turn, she made them all unhappy."
This really spoke to me today. Thank you for caring enough to mentor women and to point them to Jesus and caring for their husbands and children.
Too many couples give up too easily on their marriages. Divorce may seem like an easy way out but it isn't.

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