Making Money out of Misery

I was saddened this week to read that a major retail store now has a gift list for divorce parties. How sad. Such bad taste.
Divorce is not something to celebrate - it is the death of earlier hopes and dreams, the last final broken promise. If anything it should be marked by a funeral wake not a party!

Don't misunderstand - I'm not saying that couples should stay together regardless of the agony that broken relationships can cause and I would never condemn anyone for escaping an abusive relationship. But to suggest that someone should put on a party face and send out triumphant invitations is (to use my son's favourite phrase) rather shallow and pedantic.

Which friends would you invite? Only the ones who take your side presumably, and it is rarely the case in any relationship breakdown that one person is all wrong and the other is totally right.

According to Jesus, the law of Moses allowed divorce because of hardheartedness. God's perfect plan is that we should live together in harmony, peace and mutual loving support. That takes some working out, and in order to attempt that you need to stay put and be willing to listen and compromise. In these days of disposable everything it is too easy to throw away a marriage before it's even had a chance.

It could be that newly separated people do need practical assistance and might be pleased to receive a raft of new toasters, kettles and irons. If you take the trouble to spend time with them you become aware of their needs without them drawing up a list. That way they can maintain the maximum amount of dignity as they lay yesterday's dreams to rest.