Posted by FRIEND on April 23, 1999 at 12:08:32:
In Reply to: Feeling low posted by Jake on April 22, 1999 at 17:07:36:
Dear Jake,
I know from your past posts that you are a very nice person. I can imagine the guilt is overwhelming. I understand the legal arrangements are going as well as can be expected now, and soon you'll have the life you have dreamed of for you and your daugther. At risk of offending you, please allow me to speak from the wife's perspective. I would give anything for someone to tell my husband this. I am sorry for the years of misery you spent with your wife. I don't know if you are a Christian. Here is what I want to say: The Lord restores the years the locust destroyed! That is a promise found in scripture. Remember Tom Palermo's posts? Perhaps you can pray for God to give you a new found love for your wife -- a new hope in a new life with your daugther and wife, before any divorce is final. Should you be able to muster the strength, perhaps you could pray for God to lead you down the path of marital reconciliation with your wife. Take a chance and ask God to show you His will, and help you to be obedient in living it out, whatever it may be. For in this, you will truly find the life you have always wanted. God has His best for us. You must have been a wonderful man, taking care of your wife and child. Don't allow yourself to be eaten up with guilty. No doubt, the misery and the marriage were hard on you and took its own toll. Remember -- Christ makes all things new. Please believe this Jake! God has a plan for your life. I don't judge you, and don't want to preach. For the love of God, I pray his mercy on you in this hour. I pray all the feeling low will pass -- that you will have moments of joy and hope throughout this day. You sound like a wonderful dad. For the sake of your little girl, please consider reconciling with your wife. I know God can make your marriage better. From a mom who sees her little girl hurt everyday b/c her daddy is not there -- b/c the family is broken -- the non-custodial parent misses far more than he/she ever realizes. I see everyday what my husband misses. There are no words to explain it. I would walk through fire to keep my marriage together, knowing what I know now. I have seen the other side of being left and its ravaging effects. Please don't hate me for my approach. If it makes a difference, years later you might thank me for encouraging you to reconsider. In love and prayer, friend