‘Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.’ Ephesians 2:1-10(NLT)
For kids, a healthy stepfamily is a great blessing. We’ve known for years that divorce leaves a negative emotional residue on a child’s heart that can be witnessed over time. Two examples of this negative impact are cohabiting as adults and having a higher divorce rate than kids who grow up in intact families. But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story.
Research now confirms that a healthy stepfamily not only prevents another divorce in a child’s life, but it gives them a healthy model of marital relationships that equips them for marriage as adults.* In other words, after divorce a strong, stable, healthy stepfamily lowers the divorce rate in this generation and in the next. It reverses the “curse”.
What Satan tries to destroy through divorce, God can take back in just one generation. When you’re having a bad day, hang on to that good news and keep going.
God, please touch our family with your redeeming power and help us prepare and equip our children for future healthy marriages of their own.
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[1] Tianyi Yu and Francesca Adler-Baeder, “The Intergenerational Transmission of Relationship Quality,” Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 47: 2007, 3, 87–102.
© 2018 by FamilyLife. Excerpted with permission from Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily by Ron L. Deal with Dianne Neal Matthews, Bethany House Publishers. Get more daily encouragement with this 365-day devotional that will keep your family blending and bonding throughout the year.
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