As we stated before: Scripture clearly personifies God as a loving Personality who dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene. Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive His manifestation.
I think of Karen. She had come out of a home with rejecting parents – mother emotionally rejecting and controlling. Her dad absent emotionally from her. Karen met a fine young man in college. For the first time in her life she felt loved. Wedding bells chimed. She had never been so happy. Both had great jobs. Savings account blossomed. In her mid-twenties she felt she had the world by the tail.
Then it happened. Mike, her husband, began staying out late on Friday nights…his typical night out with the guys. Her intuition conveyed uneasiness in the lengthening evening hours. She grew more suspicious as his sexual frequency altered. Upon confrontation, Mike would own up to nothing. He denied any extra-marital involvement.
Karen knew where the guys hung out Friday nights. She camouflaged her appearance and visited the night club. It wasn’t long until her PI work bore fruit. One of the cocktail waitresses was extremely friendly to Mike. Her behavior toward him and his reciprocal response was sufficient evidence to Karen that she was now in competition for Mike’s affections. Her world collapsed. I met her in the counseling office.
She poured out her heart. Oh, the tremendous anguish of the soul. Parent’s rejection. Mike’s rejection. Like many of us do when we’re in crisis, for the first time in her life she turned to God. While working through all the rejection, facing the pain and the rage, she realized God’s desire for intimacy with her. Bible reading, prayer, church and working through the pain became a consistent part of her life.
The shattered, fragile young lady became a pillar of strength rather quickly. Remember, God tells us that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Though her husband continued in his extra-marital relationship, her focus was on her own character growth, and did she ever blossom.
After a couple months of this, Karen felt it was time to practice some tough love. A confrontation with Mike ensued. He told her to get off his back; he was going to do what he "damn well pleased." The previously passive, fragile wife who would have knuckled under to Mike proved her new-found strength with this rebuttal; “Mike, you are hurting yourself. Our friends are losing respect for you. Your job performance is suffering. You are damaging our marriage. I love you. I don’t want divorce. But it is time for you to make a decision, her or me.”
Mike asked for a week to consider. After this period, as with most people in that situation, he was still ambivalent. He wanted the marriage but he wanted his girl friend too.
Karen’s attitude was inspiring to behold as she took the necessary legal steps, not out of rage or vengeance toward Mike, but out of a broken heart for him. Divorce papers were drawn. Both signed.
A week later, Karen came back into the office, strong and radiant. Her comment: “Dr. Burwick, I’ve never felt so free in my life. Oh, I’m sad about the breakup of my marriage and sorrowful for the destructive path Mike is taking, but for the first time in my life, I’m feeling very loved and accepted. I’m growing in my awareness that God is my husband.”
A functional and practical reason for knowing and enjoying God!
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