I was 45 at the time my first
marriage dissolved right before my eyes. I chose to face this new abandonment
issue with the courage of an unsinkable Molly Brown, who heroically survived
the sinking of the Titanic.
My boss at that time, a healing
codependent, taught me that I am a person too, and I may minister to myself
just as diligently as I minister to other people. That came as a revelation to
me.
From this point on, I started to
care for my own needs rather than to expect my mate or children or friends to
care for them. I realized that Jesus encourages us to love others as we love
our self.
To ignore our needs and to expect
others to meet them is a classic codependent behavior, which needs healing. I
got in touch with my body, soul and spirit and started to pay attention to and
to meet my needs.
My joy increased as I realized
that God continued to provide for me, and that He cared about me on every level
of life. He died to save me from myself and to help me to enter into His
ultimate rest (Hebrews 4:10).
I spent the
next two years learning that God is our true husband (Isaiah 54:5). He provides
for our every need as we trust in Him and rely on His benevolence and grace.
There is
nothing too difficult for Him (Luke 18:27). He can work miraculous wonders on
our behalf, even when we least expect it. He provided me with a job, a home and
new friends who nurtured me.
They too
were recovering divorcees and many were codependent, just like me. We learned
from each other, had fun times together and met each week to learn how to begin
life again as single people.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for giving us teachers with wisdom on how to get free from our
past, to heal from our current situation and to look forward to the future with
faith in You. We learned to depend on Your love rather than a person's love and
to trust You even when we cannot trust people.
You
bring us out of moments of depression, provide for our every need, put a new song on our lips and
give us an identity of our own that has its source in You rather than in
our accomplishments or in other people. You are our all in all both now and
throughout eternity, and we delight in living in Your courts and finding refuge
under Your wings.
Thought
for the Day:
We come to
the breaking point in our life where we invite Christ to be more and more at
home in our heart, so that we can be filled with the fullest measure of His
presence.
-
Ephesians 3:16-19 (Amplified Bible)
