Tossed Aside

Have you seen the commercials for dating services featuring middle-aged couples?  In one, the attractive woman smiles and purrs, "I didn't know he'd be interested in a woman my age."  Then the male contentedly hugs her and states that he wanted someone who was his contemporary, that understood him.

Three ladies of my acquaintance were told by their husbands something quite different when they were all in their late forties, "I'm getting a divorce; I've met someone new; we're in love."  All three had been married over twenty years.  Two had teenage children; one had no children.  One woman knew her marriage was in trouble.  The others had no clue whatsoever that anything was wrong.  The three women all had well-paying jobs their entire adult lives.  All the new wives were in their early twenties.  So, essentially, the three women had been cast aside for a newer version.

All three of the ladies were very sad, actually devastated by the sudden news from the men they loved.  With help from family, friends, and churches, they recovered and went on to be happy.

Here's the outcomes of the husbands and their not-so-new-anymore wives after twenty more years.  Jackie hadn't seen her husband for years until a family reunion.  She reported, "He looked the same old Ben that he was before, only kind of worn, tired, and sad.  I was very pleased to see the little wife.  She was FAT!"  Jackie goes to the gym regularly to preserve her strength and her figure. She never remarried but agrees, "If the opportunity presented itself, I might be open."

Jessica saw Raymond and the not-so-new-anymore wife at a wedding.  She reports, "Raymond was always kind of sickly and might have thought that the new wife could take better care of him than I could.  She was sicker than he was and had a very hard time getting around."  Jessica never remarried and is the picture of health and still lives in the same fine house as when she and Raymond were married.

Madeline has not seen Tony at all.  He and the not-so-new-anymore wife never go to any family functions.  She thinks, "He probably moved out west."  Madeline also never remarried but has gone on to earn several advanced degrees with the divorce settlement.

It's truly tragic, in the great majority of cases, that divorce is so easy to obtain.  Most couples, when they exchange marriage vows plan on being married "Till death do us part."  It takes more than young love to accomplish this, I'm sure you'll agree.

Lord, you made Marriage a Sacrament, a covenant, not just a legal agreement.  Please help all married couples, in this anti-family atmosphere, to honor their commitment and try their very best!