In the Name of Love by Shelia E. Lipsey

In the Name of Love by Shelia E. Lipsey
Love is a many splendored thing - isn’t it?

Love is kind, gracious, not jealous or puffed up. Love isn’t selfish or envious. If love is so wonderful, so grand, so beautiful and appealing why do marriages suffer, divorces happen, abuse infiltrates, hurt erupts, deceit desecrates and hearts are broken - all in the name of love? J. Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri says, “50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce.”

It’s mind boggling that love can so easily turn to disdain and pain. What once started in the beginning of time when Adam and Eve came together, has now turned to something that resembles the latest fad of fashion or technology gear. We change partners like we change clothes. If something doesn’t suit our fancies after the marriage, we are quick to run to our lawyers and before the ink is dried on the marriage certificate, the divorce papers are served.

There are some real serious reasons such as adultery and fornication that a marriage is dissolved, but there are less problematic reasons too, such as ‘he doesn’t put the toilet seat down or she doesn’t close the toothpaste cap’. To live with another human being takes hard work. It takes commitment. It takes honesty and loyalty. It takes prayer! But most of all if takes LOVE.

Next, what part does forgiveness play in a wounded marriage? Is there a time when to expect forgiveness just doesn’t cut the bread it’s made on? Much like the couple in My Son’s Wife, Reverend Stiles Graham finds it impossible to continue his marriage to his lovely, Christian wife Rena. He discovers that not only has the woman he adored lied to him, but she has carried deceit a step farther. Stiles discovers his wife’s infidelity was with his sister, Francesca Graham. In the sequel, My Son’s Ex-Wife: The Aftermath, the story delves deeper into what happens after the dirt has been uncovered, the clothes have been taken to the wash to erase the stench of cheating, the ex has been thrown aside and the preacher returns to the pulpit.

Many readers of My Son’s Wife found it difficult to understand why a man who preaches the Word of God could not forgive his wife for her actions. In the name of love, shouldn’t he have tried to rekindle the brokenness of his relationship, even though divorce occurred?

The ex-wife, Rena Graham, is caught between a rock and a hard place. In the name of love she allowed a friendship to turn ugly. In the name of love, she hid secrets from her husband. In the name of love, Rena Graham continually tortured herself because of her mistakes.

My Son’s Ex-Wife: The Aftermath reminds me of how people make decisions based on a number of things, but most often it’s because of what other people think. For instance, Stiles Graham listened to his mother, First Lady Audrey Graham. First Lady Audrey said to some of her church friends after her preacher son’s divorce, “Yes, he’ll be fine. Of course, the pain of divorce is something that takes time to heal; even more so, for a man of God like my Stiles. He tried, but it was no way to mend their marriage.” But what Audrey’s son, Stiles Graham really feels is remorse over the decision he made to divorce his wife. He says in My Son’s Ex-Wife:The Aftermath , “But I don’t have the strength, or the kind of heart that can allow her back in my life. I love her, but it’s time for me to make a fresh start. It wouldn’t be fair to Rena to have a man who couldn’t love and accept her for who she is.”

When it comes to relationships, we all make decisions, whether bad or good, and we do it all in the name of love. I believe that love, real love, true love, forever love is unconditional. However, as humans with fleshly desires, thoughts and actions it is sometimes difficult to see past hurt and pain when it seeps into a relationship. The decision is up to you the way you choose to live your life. But do remember - love is a many splendored thing. But how far do you want to go In the Name of Love?

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My Son’s Ex-Wife: The Aftermath is the second book in Author Shelia E. Lipsey’s My Son’s Wife trilogy. Look for it at bookstores and online starting August 31, 2010. Pre-order your copies today at BN.com; Amazon.com and other online e-tailers including the author’s website: http://www.perfecstoriesaboutimperfectpeople/.


Meet the author


Shelia E. Lipsey is a multi-award winning Christian fiction author of four novels and one nonfiction book. She is the founder of The Word According to Shelia, a monthly column featured in a variety of formats and blogs online. Her latest Christian fiction novel, Beautiful Ugly is available nationwide. Check out the books by Shelia on Amazon today or visit http://www.shelialipsey.com/  Blog http://www.shelialipsey.blogspot.com/   Email: shelialipsey@yahoo.com

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