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Starting over after divorce
by Sharon Fry
Let the words of
my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O
Lord, my strength and my redeemer. I pray that the following words I
share with you reflect the joy I have in my heart for God’s presence and
grace as I continue on my amazing journey after divorce. Psalm 19:14
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In June of
1998 I experienced the spiritual journey of the “Walk to Emmaus.”
For the very first time in my life I experienced unconditional love.
Little did I know that God was preparing me for the devastation of
separation and divorce that was coming. My work caused me to travel
most weeks but three years later, in June, 2002, I was home. I
received a call from a man whose wife was having an affair with my
husband. Three days later my husband admitted that he also had lied
about his “sobriety” throughout our 18 years of marriage. A marriage
I thought had been built on rock quickly turned into a foundation of
sand. When the sand was washed away and the splinters of my marriage
were revealed I was devastated. I was in so much pain and confusion
that I didn’t want to survive. I turned to God in prayer and He
answered. He put people in my path that offered comfort, insights
and a closer walk with Jesus.
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I was in so
much pain
and confusion that I didn't
want to survive.
I turned to
God in prayer
and He answered. |
During this
difficult time I became reconnected to the Emmaus community. Kathy, a former
church member, came up to me at a Subway shop and invited me to a new Emmaus
Re-union group on Saturday morning. The group was a lifeline of support.
But, how do I move
on? At 33,000 ft in the air, God answered that question. While flying home
from a work trip to Houston, I sat beside Tom, a person who had been
divorced. Tom shared how he had found his way through his pain by attending
FBC’s Divorce Recovery Workshop (DRW) program. I took God’s hint and
participated in the 2002 Divorce Recovery Workshop program. I am forever
grateful that the program accepted me and my brokenness.
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has not been an easy journey, but I have found many blessings
sprinkled along my path...
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Also in 2002, I chose to take a vacation alone at Virginia
Beach. The weather reflected how I felt—stormy, miserable and
isolated. After a heavy downpour on Tuesday night, I awoke to
sunshine. As I was walking on the boardwalk, I observed a man go
over to a large ship anchor and place his hand on it. His small
child mirrored his father’s actions. At that moment, the words
“Follow me and I will teach you” came strongly to me. I continued
walking and yellow butterflies began dancing around me. In 2003 when
I had the privilege of facilitating a DRW small group, I shared how
I had received God’s grace on that vacation. A participant told me
that the butterflies would help guide those at sea to come safely
home. God led me to a new church home when I joined FBC and was
baptized in 2004. |
It has not been an easy journey, but I have found many
blessings sprinkled along my path…a loving family of friends, the privilege
of singing in the choir, the honor of working with DRW, the humbleness of
serving on a mission trip. Lastly, the gift of understanding that only by
knowing great pain may you experience great joy! I leave you with the
thought expressed in 1 Peter 5:10-11: And the God of all grace, who
called you to His eternal glory, after you have suffered a little while,
will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be
the power for ever and ever. Amen.
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