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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – I have been thinking a great deal about divorce lately.
My divorce was 14 years ago. I’d been married for 17 years before that. It has been on my mind because I will make the last of my child support payments in the coming month. Of course, I love my children and will support them any way I can even though this court-ordered obligation is ending.
My father recommended that I not get married. He said that my betrothed’s family had different values than my own. I did not follow his advice. To his credit, he never once repeated his admonition. When I told him we were divorcing, he also advised against that. Dad has often said “a promise made is a promise kept.” To him, marriage promises are like that too.
I’ve also been thinking of divorce because of the media coverage surrounding the celebrity divorce of two athletes: Darrel Waller of the New York Giants and WNBA star Kelsey Plum. I’d never heard of them before. But I’m taken aback by the number of online posts who are happy they’re divorcing. A divorce is sad and is a time for reflection. It’s not intended to be a for-entertainment public spectacle. I also think of Wisconsin’s sports couple: olympic gymnast Simone Biles is married to Packers player Jonathan Owens. By all outward appearances, they are in love and fully committed to each other. But he said during an interview earlier this year that he didn’t know who she was when they first met. There have been many social media posts suggesting that this is a sign that she’s-more-into-him than he is to her. Those people should hush up. When two people get married, our obligation is to support them… not to tear them apart.
I don’t regret my divorce; I’m much happier now. Yet I do consider it a personal failure. Marriage is a sacrament in the Christian faith. As my faith has grown stronger I realize that I made a promise to God on the day I was married, and it’s a promise that I didn’t keep.
I hope you’ll become a regular supporter of the Gospel TLC. It’s a home for men who are working to beat addiction and would otherwise be homeless. If you’d like to make a monthly donation, there’s a link here.
The Gospel TLC also needs day-to-day food and household items, like eggs, sour cream, meat and chicken, dishwasher pods, laundry detergent and dryer sheets. Those items can be dropped off at the Gospel TLC building on Crosse Point Boulevard near the hospital in Weston.
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