Marriage- Stay With It!

1 Corinthians 12-14 "Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man  has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a Christian woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband  brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy." NLT

   Oh, Lord!  I am so very glad these verses are here.  In another passage, You tell us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  When I trusted You as Savior and Lord, my husband did not for another 3 and a half years.  A divorce would have been devastating not only to me and the children, but also to him because it was through our witness that he trusted You as well.
      In the ESV and the NIV the last sentence reads, "Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."  I know that the families and spouses receive the extension and benefits of a family member living out the Christian life as they ought to; but know that one cannot gain salvation simply because their mate or parent is saved.  Each has to choose for themselves.  The word holy here does not mean redeemed, it means purified.
      I can say from experience, Lord, that my boys and husband were not purified the moment I got saved.  My oldest trusted You shortly after I did.  But as I learned from You and taught them Your ways, they became more so.  Thank You for how You work in a family, Lord.  You certainly are the only good and gracious God and Your plan is the very best!