As it happens, Sheran's is the worst-case scenario that critics of covenant marriage laws predicted. A woman, pressured by her husband and pastor, limits her freedom to divorce. But what happened next wasn't in the critics' script. At Guy's urging, they each began individual counseling. Sheran began to feel stronger, and Guy began to do thoughtful, kind acts for her and the children. Ten months later, after much healing, they reunited their family; their marriage has never been happier.
Without covenant marriage, where would you be now? I ask her. "Divorced," she says without hesitation. "Six months wasn't long enough for us to heal." In many states the waiting period for divorce is even shorter.
And how would your life be different? Sheran pauses: "I think my life would be full of pain and struggle. We would not be in our house, my children would be bouncing back and forth from home to home, and I'm afraid we would still be very angry; we would not have taken the time to resolve that and I would probably be feeling a lot of regret."
Nicole and Tom, are you taking notes?