Finding God in the Seasons of Divorce

Excerpt from Introduction to the Spring Season Devotionals
Springtime is probably my favorite season. It is as if the whole world comes back to life; trees bud, flowers bloom, birds and animals reappear. People, no longer confined within the walls of their homes are out in their yards again. There is something about springtime that just brings a renewed sense of hope, a renewed appreciation of beauty. I often watch for the signs that spring is coming. A robin that hops along in the yard where yesterday there were only sparrows, the tiny blades of grass that push up their bright green shoots through the dark soil, moistened by melting snow. And I love to watch for the crocus blossoms, sometimes blooming in a field of snow. All of nature joins to remind us that there are warmer days ahead, and summer fun is just around the corner.

The springtime of divorce is like that, as well. Everything isn’t rosy and put in place yet. Nor have all the shadows and snows of the dark winter days disappeared. But there are signs that things are changing: a new time of warmth is just ahead. It may be noticed in small things. Like the return of your smile (remember your smile?) or laughter at a joke when your face has so long felt cold tears on the cheeks. It may surface with the awareness that you have plans for the weekend when previously you were unable to plan for the coming evening. Maybe your springtime will come as an unexpected romance develops, but it may be more the rekindling of old friendships and rediscovering old hobbies. For those of us with children, the touch of spring may come when you listen to them and realize that they are going to make it through this; they are going to be okay. Scarred, maybe hardened, but okay.

Day 3 Isaiah 43:15-19
Are you a person who likes to learn from your experiences? I try to be. I learned from it that whenever you are in a relationship with someone, it is a unique relationship with two unique individuals. What is appropriate in one relationship with one person, may or may not be relevant in a different relationship. One woman appreciates having a door opened for her, while another may take it as an insult. One man feels threatened if his wife makes more money than he does, while another is proud of his successful wife’s accomplishments. However, there is one arena of discovery that will be helpful in the future: you can learn a lot about yourself. You can learn who you are at the core, how you respond when life is hard, and maybe that you are more capable than you imagined. You can learn ways to handle life on your own, and what areas of your life you might want to change for new values, new priorities, new disciplines and interests.
Hard though this time may be, the truth is you are on the threshold of a new time of your life. And that threshold gives you the opportunity to write a whole new story in this new chapter of your life. You can leave behind mistakes of the past. You can intentionally seek to be a bit wiser as you walk through the door that is your future, where God is doing a new thing in YOUR life.

Day 88 Revelation 21:1-5
I don’t know about you, but I have had my share of earth’s sorrows. And yet, I must be thankful because compared to many, I have had an easy and blessed life, even though my cheeks have felt plenty of tears. I have experienced physical pains and anesthetics. I have been troubled beside the graves of loved ones. I have known both prosperous times and lean times. I have seen enough of life’s troubles to be able to read today’s passage with a wistful look in my eye.
There is a day coming that will be like no other. Earth will be restructured in a new creation, where the sorrows and pains of this world have no place and no victims. There will come a day when we will rise to be with Christ forever; the sorrows of this world will have come to an end. Painful memories will be painful no more. When I am down, this hope remains at my core to lift my spirits. When I feel like things have gotten too hard, I remind myself that once I have the perspective one only gets in glory, I will realize this wasn’t so bad for the short time it will have been. It helps to lift my eyes out of this life once in awhile, to look toward the sky to see if Jesus might be coming just then, and to dream about that day when this old earth will be nothing but a faded memory. That is hard to do when we get so absorbed with the struggles of this life. Yet if we look carefully around us, here and there we can catch glimpses of glory. Like those moments when, with the scripture open before us, we experience a special closeness of God’s presence. Or when we glance at the sky just at the moment a shaft of the sun’s bright rays burst through the clouds with inexpressible brightness. What represents the hopes and dreams for which you long? What shackles seek to bind you here on earth when you know your soul is destined for glory? What things touch your spirit and lift it to glory? Take time to close your eyes, go to a favorite place, let your spirit soar the heights reminding you of the home to which you are headed, and remember that the cares you carry will one day fall away to ashes.