Divorce, American Style
Millions watched tonight as a marriage ended.
Oh, there was no surprise when Jon and Kate Gosselin announced they were separating, followed by the announcement that on Monday the two had filed for divorce.
As I watched, I was saddened by the statements coming from them. Jon, in particular, said he was both sad and “excited” about the new chapter of his life.
Really? Excited? He reiterated that he is only 32, and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Kate, for her part, kept repeating how she would always put the kids first (Jon said the same thing). Then, each talked about the new “schedule” that they would have with the kids.
Both said that this would have happened even if they had never done a reality show.
And then it was over. Really over.
Many people are going to have strong opinions about who is at fault, what the two of them should have done, etc. But finger pointing does no good, and none of us are in the marriage to know what “really” happened, reality show or not. We don’t know them, no matter how many episodes we have watched. We know what they want us to know, and what editors think will make better TV (and really, the happiest people on earth must be the folks at TLC, the network that televises Jon and Kate plus 8, talk about a ratings winner).
But what this should re-emphasize to all of us is that marriage is a fragile thing. It is hard work, and when you let anyone enter into the marriage with the husband and wife, you are inviting trouble. It doesn’t have to be a reality show, it can be in-laws, friends, anyone who can in any way turn the focus away from the union itself.
A marriage is between two, a man and a woman. No one else has the right to tamper with that union. Vows taken before God between two Christians are meant to last a lifetime, not until one party or the other wants to move on.
It’s easy to want out. Sometimes it’s harder to stay. I’m going to write more this week about marriage. We’ll look at what scripture says vs. what popular culture says.
A Godly marriage may be hard work, but it is worth every minute… even the tough ones!
July 8th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Nice post! GA is also my biggest earning. However, it’s not a much.