Anna's Reaction to Josh

After the whole Josh Duggar sex scandal came out, I was encouraged by others to write a Letter to Anna. "I was encouraged yesterday to hear a report that you would not seek divorce. I have never encouraged a woman to get divorced and I never will since marriage is a model of Christ and the church and He will never divorce us. He continues to be faithful, even when we are not. Please, don't hold onto bitterness but forgive as the Lord has so graciously forgiven us. It may take a lot of time and prayer but with Christ ALL things are possible. This will be a huge witness to a watching world of God's patience and love for His children the church. You are showing Christ's love and forgiveness to a wretched sinner as we all once were before being washed in His blood and made new creatures in Him. He now even calls us saints!"

Every other letter I saw that women had written to her, they told her she had every right to leave him and she should. However, this is not what God tells us. He commands us to be covenant keepers. He commands we forgive 70 X 7 times. He says that if we don't love our brother {or husband} who we can see, we don't love Him whom we cannot see. He even commands for us to love and forgive our enemies; therefore, a wife should love and forgive her husband. 

Here are Anna's words from an interview on TLC Sunday night:

How could this happen in our marriage? Josh was my first love; my one and only but I knew the only thing was to cling to my faith because I knew if I went off of what I was feeling, I would turn a mess into a disaster. In the stun and shock of everything, I just went "Help me, God, help me to know how to respond to all of this." I didn't know what to do. I knew we needed help and I was praying God would give the help and the wisdom to even know how to take the next step. 

When your world is shattered, there are a lot of emotions you have to walk through and initially it was just crying and crying and crying some more. You get up and start to go on with life and you start crying all over again. I know there are those that think I have every right to walk away from this marriage and I respect their opinion but in my heart when I got married, I vowed to God first and then to Joshua, "For better or worse until death do we part." God has unfailing love for me and He's loved me and forgiven me for so much.

 I pray through all of this that I would be an extension of God's love to Joshua; that I would love him and forgive him. I will wait patiently and allow God to work in our hearts. My prayer and my heart's desire is for our marriage to be restored. When you go through difficult times, it can either destroy your life or make you stronger. My purpose and my desire through all of this for each member of my family is that we would turn our hearts to God and find the grace and the help we need and come out stronger.

Anna is a godly woman. Josh is at a Christian recovery program now. She is living with the Duggar family and finding love and help with this amazing family. I am sure she will be mocked by many but the angels in heaven are rejoicing! We are not here to please ourselves but the Lord. Many times this will call for suffering and sacrifice as He modeled to us by being crucified on a cross for our sin. 

Thank you, Anna, for your brave stand on God's Word and His ways. He promises that He will work out ALL things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. The world cannot comprehend this because they do not know God. However, as believers, we walk on a different path. Anna takes seriously her vows and believes that what God has joined together, let NO man tear asunder, not even Josh himself. How will unbelievers know the depths of God's love and forgiveness if those who call themselves by His name don't love and forgive their own spouses whom they are one with?

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32