
Episode #214
Episode 214: When Your Faith and Your Marriage Pull You in Opposite Directions
Your faith tells you marriage is forever. But your marriage is hurting you. So…now what? In this episode of The Loving Truth Podcast, we’re stepping into some tricky territory: faith, marriage, abuse and divorce. One of my members recently told her husband that she intends to separate and move toward divorce after 12 years of verbal, mental and emotional abuse. Then she went to church and heard her pastor preach that God hates divorce, even when abuse is present. Because, he said, the abuser could always change. And just like that, she was questioning herself again. Have I done enough? Have I tried everything? What if he really could change? Here’s the thing… I’m not here to tell you what to believe about God. What I believe is simply what I choose to believe. It’s right for me. That doesn’t mean it needs to be right for you. But if you’re wrestling with this question, I think that matters. Because there’s a difference between what you’ve been taught to believe and what you actually believe. There’s also a difference between what someone could become and who they have consistently shown themselves to be. At some point, we have to be willing to look at both. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to separate what you were taught to believe from what you actually believe. Why questioning doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing your faith. Why the possibility that someone could change can keep you holding on for years. How fear of judgment can make an already difficult decision feel almost impossible. How to honor what you believe without abandoning yourself in the process. I also share some of my own journey with faith and why I struggle with any teaching that asks a woman to become stronger at enduring abuse rather than asking the person abusing her to stop. Because maybe the question isn’t whether someone else thinks you’ve tried hard enough. Maybe it’s: After everything you’ve tried, what has your experience shown you? Reflective Question: What would I need to know, see or experience to trust that I’ve done all I can do?






