Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
-John 12:24, NKJV
Death is not pleasant.
I do not care how prepared one is. We were not made to die; rather, we were made to live forever. In fact, God tells us in the Bible that death entered the world through sin (see Romans 5:12).
But that is not to say God is incapable of redeeming death.
He redeemed His own son’s death, after all!
Today, you may find yourself staring at the death of your marriage, dreams, and the life you thought–or even did–once have. Or perhaps, you are experiencing the dying process as I write this.
Do not loose heart!
The spiritual principle from Christianity is that God allows and–one might even suggest–insists somethings die in order to bring forth new, abundant life. I can testify to this principle at work from my own very personal experience.
My first marriage died along with all the hopes and dreams I had for it.
Out of that death, God has brought forth abundant new life:
A new family with Mrs. DM and Munchkin. A new vibrant professional career as a chaplain. And a new avocation–blogging here at Divorce Minister.
The death of my first marriage cleared the way for all of those blessings.
Yes, death is not pleasant. But for the Believer, death is merely the gateway to greater blessing–whether in this life or the next. We need never to fear death for we serve the One who has conquered Death forever!
*A version of this post ran previously.
Unbeknownst to me, my spouse cheated for decades. I can tell you in the aftermath that there seemed to be more sympathy for his so called addiction than for me. Now I have complex PTSD and I am triggered easily into memories of what happened here.
I woke up today to the sinking pit of pain again. (Just try to not be triggered in this sexually obsessed culture! ) I was browsing the Internet looking for something to comfort me and I found this site. Most people don’t seem to understand the extent of the pain and trauma that results from being on the receiving end of adultery. All the shame that some people placed on me for needing to be immediately more forgiving made it all worse.
Thank you for realizing how much pain betrayal causes the faithful spouse. I have had trauma therapy and I take antidepressants. I am better but it is something that I think I will wrestle with for the rest of my life. I am not crazy. I am reacting to horrific events that challenged my belief in people and sometimes, in God.
Dear Kat,
I am so glad you found DM! You are not crazy & you are certainly not alone! Like others who have found this site, I was were you are not so long ago.
The trauma can seem overwhelming at times. Hang in there & don’t give up! God loves you & He is with you. He has not forsaken you; He has exposed the truth to set you free! Freedom is worth fighting for!
As hard as it is at times, I’d like to encourage you to hang onto your faith and trust in God, and start thanking Him for setting you free! It might seem forced at first and your steps forward may begin small. He is faithful and will guide you one step at a time!
Praying,
Nyra