The Celebration Side

(This is my original 10 Years post).

Yesteday marked 10 years of being free from domestic violence. Not one part of me is celebrating divorce because I know that is not how God intended things to be when He created man and woman. He intended marriage to be until death but, sadly, that is not how my marriage worked out.

The ideals of marriage aside, I AM going to celebrate that I have been living in freedom from abuse for ten years!

During these years, God has been so faithful. On the morning my ex was arrested, there was no way I could imagine that today, a decade later, my life would be filled with the richness that comes from great friends, a supportive church(es), amazing teenage children, a safe home, and 5 years of further education.

Has the journey been easy? No, of course not. Thankfully, God has placed amazing people in my life who have helped me grow, learn, and change. God also led me to Celebrate Recovery where I experience unconditional acceptance, space to process and heal at my own pace, and opportunities to comfort others in their affliction in the way God comforted me (2 Cor1:3-5).

Many things were challenging.  Some days, everything was challenging.  On those days, I depended on God more to help me take care of my two children who were also suffering the effects of having lived in an abusive home. Some days, the challenge was so great that even leaving the house was daunting.

Slowly, minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day, we began to adjust to our new way of life. I can't say it got easier, rather, we got stronger.  

(I considered sharing some of the details of the struggles that come along with leaving domestic violence, but I am going to leave that for my book.)

God strengthened me in my weakness. He remained faithful even when I wasn't.  He kept leading even when I was too weak to follow.  He kept working things out for our good even when I thought things were tanking. He kept pulling me out of despair even when I fell into depression. He stayed close even when I tried to push Him away.

God never failed me.

And, THAT is worth celebrating!!!

(If you are interested, here are the links to previous celebrations: 1 Year, 2 Years, 5 Years).