“Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.”                                                                                                     James 5:13 (NRSV)  

                              

Simple Divorce: $199 (uncontested)

That is what the billboard advertised.

This sign on the interstate caught my attention as my husband and I were driving home from a relaxing vacation. Because I love words, my mind began to wonder about how other people might read and interpret that sign.

I think most people read it like this: Get your Simple Divorce for this low, low price! Like a product on an infomercial. 

But I am willing to bet that some people, those looking for a solution to a problem, read it at a glance and interpret it this way:  Simple. Divorce. Like the answer to their troubles. A remedy to their unhappiness.

Far too many people come to that conclusion. If a marriage is broken, just get rid of it. We are like that with most things in our lives. Our disposable society and mindset have brought us to this point. Can it be that even relationships are disposable?

Since when is divorce simple? It can’t be simple – even uncontested. Marriages are about people, emotions, and commitment. Nothing about marriage is simple, not even divorce. Yet, our society has made even that oh so simple.

This is part of our problem. Our human condition. We try to make everything so simple.

If you don’t like something, throw it out. Everything is so easy to remove and replace. Apparently, even the people in our lives.

Are you on FaceBook? Don’t like what someone says or does? Just “unfriend” them. One click. Simple.

Think about it though. Life isn’t simple. Relationships, whether you are beginning them or ending them, aren’t simple. The actions we take seem simple but the ramifications of those actions or decisions result in a lifetime of consequences.

Answers are never simple. Doing the right thing is often not simple. 

Don’t be drawn in by the temptations of our world. Be skeptical of quick fixes.

Go to God to find your answers. His answers generally aren’t on a billboard. 

Pray about all things in your life. The answers and outcomes may not be so simple but they will reflect God’s will in your life. 

Remember these truths:

 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”       Colossians 4:2 

“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

Prayer. Now, that’s simple.