Obed Bazikian is an intern for the Family Research Council and writes on Dr. Pat Fagan's blog about some surprising statistics about divorce:

[Andrew] Mrozek [of the Institute for Marriage and Family] references some interesting findings from The Institute for American Values. One study states that of couples who have filed for divorce, 40% of one or both of them have a desire to be reconciled. Among Minnesota’s divorced population, 66 percent wished that they would have tried harder to reconcile with their former spouse. An astonishing final study states that “two out of three unhappily married adults who avoided divorce or separation were happily married five years later”.

If the partners would make every effort to work out their differences, as the last study references, over 60 percent of potential divorces could be reconciled successfully and result in a happy marriage. That is exciting news. Marriage is hard work and requires a new level of self-sacrifice that most are not used to prior to their “I do’s”. But, if you stick it out, there are benefits on so many levels. The Marriage and Religion Research Institute’s 162 Reasons to Marry provides a detailed window into these different areas a committed marriage can profit not only yourself, but society. So if divorce is on your mind, seek a counselor and get help! There is hope for you and your marriage!