Faith & Family Bible Podcast with Steve Wood

Episode 498 – How to Avoid a Divorce

·27 min·2 clips

Steve Wood reveals January sees a 27% divorce surge, with the first Monday after New Year's known as 'Divorce Day'.

The episode begins with host Steve Wood introducing a new miniseries titled 'How to Avoid a Post-Holiday Divorce.' He states that divorce filings peak in January, with a 27% surge, and the first Monday after New Year's is known as 'Divorce Day.' Wood explains the series aims to help listeners avoid divorce themselves or assist friends and family members. He reads a testimonial from Regina, who credits a friend sharing his CD with saving her marriage after years of problems. Wood emphasizes that friends can play a crucial role by providing strategies rather than encouraging divorce. He outlines the first strategy: consider the children and the regrets, noting that around 50% of divorcing couples regret their decision. Wood references a Yale University study finding divorce is as dangerous to a man's health as smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. He distinguishes between high-stress and low-stress divorces, focusing on the latter, which he says are often reversible. Wood introduces the concept of the 'double dip' in marriage, where both spouses experience a down phase simultaneously, particularly in the first decade. He cites data from the book 'The Case for Marriage' by Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, showing that 86% of unhappy couples who stayed married reported being happier five years later, and 77% of very unhappy couples did the same. Wood discusses the long-term impact of divorce on children, referencing Judith Wallerstein's 25-year study in 'The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce.' He notes that children of divorce often struggle with trust and commitment in adulthood, with effects lasting a quarter-century. The episode concludes with Wood promising to discuss concrete ways to avoid divorce in future installments.

As heard by us

A sober case for giving a struggling marriage time.

Steve Wood's Faith and Family takes post-holiday divorce as its starting point, then widens the frame: hard stretches can come in any season, and marriage often moves through uneven cycles where one spouse is steady while the other is worn down, or both are struggling at once.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a steadier view of marital crisis than the first Monday after New Year's can offer.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Faith & Family Bible Podcast with Steve Wood