A few weeks ago Lisa Whelchel announced she was divorcing her husband after more than 23 years of marriage. Yesterday I watched a video of an interview she did with Jeff Probst in which Lisa said that she was never really in love with her husband. Lisa explained that she thought she was following God’s will for her life by marrying her husband, yet her heart was never committed to the relationship.
As I listened to the interview, I was reminded of the very touching scene in Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye asks Golde if she loves him. Golde tries to avoid answering but finally concludes that all they have shared in 25 years of marriage is the definition of love. The song ends with each professing their love for the other and concludes with “It doesn’t change a thing, but even so, after twenty-five years, it’s nice to know.”
It’s not my place to judge Lisa or to try to determine what was right for her and her family. However, my heart breaks at the realization that a Christian couple who have tried to follow God’s will for their lives could live together for more than two decades and raise a family without truly bonding with one another. Tevye and Golde are right when they conclude that going through the ups and downs of life together really does constitute love. I’m sorry Lisa was not able to come to the same conclusion. I wish her all the best as she moves forward in life as a single Christian woman, and I pray that she will find the lasting love that she seems to have missed in her recently-ended marriage.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Fiddler on the Roof, I encourage you to check out the video of “Do You Love Me?” starring Topol as Tevye and Norma Crane as Golde: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_y9F5St4j0 . It’s a beautiful song and a touching scene as these two long-married people finally reveal the love that is in their hearts.
Susan's Reflections 