So, I’m going through a divorce. It sucks. (I’m sorry, but it’s the best term for it.) 

However, there are some people in my life who made it suck less. God, first and foremost. Of course there are my children, my world. My family was obviously super supportive. And my friends were always there when I needed them.

And then, there were the people from my church. They didn’t know me exceptionally well. I hadn’t gotten as involved with the church as I would have liked in the past. But from the moment I told one of the members from the small group we had been a part of a while back, I had a whole support system that has meant more to me than I can put into words. 

They have helped me and the boys move, made us dinners, prayed for us, been there when I needed to talk, gone on play dates to keep us all active, spent time with me on weekends I didn’t have the boys, had cards waiting for me on particularly difficult days, texted me scriptures and songs to encourage me, the list goes on and on.

Again, words cannot describe how much this group of individuals has meant to me. But sometimes, the shame of divorce comes over me and I wonder, what if they wouldn’t have treated me this way? These people are all Christians and let’s face it, divorce is not something Christians condone. (Neither do I, honestly, but that’s for another time.) What if instead of encouragement, warmth and love, I had felt judged and cast out? Would I still have felt compelled to turn to God in the way I have during this? Would I still feel forgiven and sure that His plan is always good? Would I still feel comfortable walking into church with my boys alone on Sunday morning?

As Christians, we have a choice. We can judge another person’s situation, make them feel unwelcome and shamed. Or we can open our arms and our hearts to them, show them the love that God shows us through his son, Jesus Christ, and give them the grace we know they’ll receive from our Heavenly Father. I know in the future, I’m going to try very hard to do the latter of these two things. You never know how much it might touch a person’s life and turn them to the only One who can truly help them in their circumstance. I know that’s what it did for me.