Life Challenges

When Your Parents Divorce

This hurts like nothing else. Friend, few things are more painful than experiencing your parents’ divorce. It’s only normal to feel broken. Yet, we hope you discover through the Bible that God is a Father who loves you with an everlasting love, and wants to hold your hand through this. 

Short Content

Where to Run When Your Parents Divorce

Life really hurts sometimes. Few things hurt so much as when your parents get divorced.

The Bible is honest that we live in a pain soaked world (Genesis 3:6-9; Romans 8:20-23; Job 5:7). It doesn’t record a fairy-tale. Instead, it tells us countless stories of real people sailing life’s stormy seas in this fallen world. If the stories within the Bible could bleed, the pages of the Bible would be soaked in tears.

You may feel very far from God right now. Unanswered questions like “why would God let this happen to me and my parents” may make you not want to talk to God. That’s understandable.

The people in your life that have earned and deserved your greatest trust have let you down, and that’s an understatement. Parents, according to God’s design, were intended to help us see a reflection of God in their protection, provision, care, and authority. But not only are the best parents only a dim reflection of God. Because they are imperfect—sinners even—they can also damage the picture we are supposed to see of him.

God hates divorce for many reasons—partially because it hurts your view of him. We read in the Bible, God’s own Word about himself, that “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18 ESV). This means there is no promise God makes that he will ever break—ever. He doesn’t change his mind—ever. This is what makes him trustworthy. In fact, the Bible describes God’s people as those “who have fled to him for refuge” (Hebrews 6:18).

One of the most awesome truths woven throughout the whole Bible is that God is a safe place for all who put their trust in him—can you believe it?! God, the one who made the roaring sea, and the mountains, and who sets up kings and lives forever—he’s safe, and gentle, and kind! And the reason he’s worthy of your trust is that he never, ever, ever lies. He never breaks his Word.

It might feel like there’s no one to run to, no one worthy of your trust. When trust has been broken, it’s so hard to trust anyone again. We understand that.

But we want to challenge you to believe, believe that God is different from your parents. Run in his direction, not away from him. Pain will drive us one of two places—into God’s arms, or far away from him in suspicion. The way to run to God is to open your Bible—open to Psalm 34, or Psalm 23, or read Joseph’s tough story in Genesis 37-50. And talk to him. Tell him everything. Tell him how bad it hurts, ask him your tough questions—he can take it. He welcomes you to “cast your cares on him, for he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

We pray that when the pain makes you want to run, you’d run to him, into his strong and loving arms. It is the only place we have learned is truly safe to flee to in our pain.

by Bibles.net

OPEN YOUR BIBLE

Theme Verse

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

PSALM 34:18 ESV

Hope After Your Parents Divorce
Article: 8 Min

Forgiving
Parents Who
Have Failed You

by Bibles.net
Article: 12 Min

Broken Homes
in the Bible

by Richard Pratt Jr. at Ligonier Ministries

Verse
John 14:15-17 NLT

"If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you."

Praise & Worship

No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

by The Worship Initiative feat. Davy Flowers

Praise & Worship

Lean Back

by The Worship Initiative feat. Davy Flowers
Verse
Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Verse
Psalm 56:8 NLT

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

Article: 10 Min

Hope for When
Honoring Your
Parents Is Hard

by Chelsea Stanley at Open the Bible

Article: 10 Min

When Your Grey
Haired Parents
Get Divorced

"It can feel like the ground beneath us is crumbling.
In these moments, we have
to remember that our firm
foundation is not found
in our earthly families—
it’s found in Jesus Christ."

by Chelsea Stanley at The Gospel Coalition

Verse
Psalm 46:1-2 ESV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea...

Image

Even if
my father
and mother
abandon me,
the Lord will
hold me close.

Psalm 27:10 NLT
Verse
Ephesians 1:5-8 NLT

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Verse
Psalm 138:7-8 ESV

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Article: 7 Min

To Daughters
from Broken Homes

by Calley Sivils at Desiring God

Messages: 42 Min

Faith for
Fractured
Families

by Colin Smith

Verse
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 NIV

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Show Me the Father
by The Kendrick Brother | 1 Hour 31 Minutes
Everyone has a unique father story. Whether positive or painful, it’s always personal and can deeply affect the core of our identity and direction of our lives. Featuring a variety of amazing true stories, this captivating movie takes audiences of all ages on an inspiring and emotional cinematic journey helping us discover the beautiful reality of what it means for God to be our Father.
Books
Books