I would be verfy slow to counsel someone to pursue divorce as well. I also believe that it is a mistake to lump divorce and remarriage together, as I believe the Bible shows them to be two different problems for believers. We need to discuss that sometime!

I have a big interest in pursuing counseling at some point. My undergrad degree is in human relations, which was psychology, sociology, and anthropology. I have checked into various schools to pursue a masters in counseling but most of them give you only a certain amount of time to finish and since my elderly mom lives with us, I am not sure what the future is bringing for her and how much care she will need down the road….playing it by ear!

I hold a strict view of divorce, personally, and do not counsel for divorce in most cases. I even believe that adultery does not necessarily mean divorce. I believe in forgiveness and working out a relationship through the Holy Spirit if at all possible. But it does not glorify God for a woman to be beaten time and time again. Dobson, Cloud & Townsend, etc. have all made good Biblical cases for leaving a man who is abusive.

Did I understand correctly that you are working towards becoming a counselor now that your children are getting older?

I’ve recently been going around to area churches, meeting the pastors and letting them know how I can help them and their church members as a counselor. One of the issues the pastors always seem to bring up is the issue of how I counsel when women come to me about abuse. These are conerned men who are searching for the rght way in which to respond. I can tell that a few of them are haunted by their choices. Most of them have confessed that they have simply told the wife to leave and then felt guilty about it later. What a shame that is. To feel guilty over maybe saving someone’s life.

When I was growing up, there was a lady who lived next door to us who frequently had bruises, black eyes, and a swollen lip. Being a small child, my mom and dad didn’t say much of what was going on but I saw the guy come home drunk and I heard the yelling. It was terrifying and I was always so thankful that they had no children. He died in his mid-20’s and it was almost a relief to me.

Have you seen the movie The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio? It is the true story of an abusive father and the wife who remained with him. It takes place in the 50’s and I know you would really appreciate the story in that it accurately shows what so many of the women of that day went through at the hands of an abuser and how ill equipped everyone was to deal with it.