faeriecat
Member
Well, its probably time to share my story. I apologize if it gets a little wordy, this does span a fair chunk of time.
Growing up religion wasn't much discussed in our house, never knew why, I think it may be just the generation my parents were and their personalities. But in high school I started going with some friends to a baptist church and it was interesting. I had a small group of supposed friends. I seemed to be accepted, which was something frequently lacking in my life at that point. I did the things they did including being baptized.
Towards the end of high school I met a gentleman and we dated for some time and then got engaged. After high school I went to the army (planned) and got married and started a life. I was barely 18 at this point, and he was 21.
Well, of course we immediately started having issues but were too
young/immature to figure our way out.
So I did what I thought was right, talked to some of the more mature married ladies at the church we were going to near my military post at the time. Their response was to "obey thy husband", but had no real helpful information on HOW to do that.
We were fighting constantly over everything, but the root of the fights ultimately was kids. He wanted to start a family right away. I wanted to wait a couple of years so I was settled in my career and we were more and we knew each other – and let’s be honest, ourselves – a bit better. Neither of us could compromise.
It blew up, big time. I won’t go into details but it was very bad and very hurtful. So I walked away … from everything, both the marriage and the church. In my rash immature mind I figure it was all a lie anyway so why continue with it? I packed up my personal belongings and moved into the barracks and that was that.
That was over 20 years ago.
Fast forward through 20 years of questionable activities, 2 wars (I caught both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom), multiple moves in pursuit of a computer career …
Somewhere along that road I lost my sister. She married a gentleman who was abusive, and they had 2 children. Right about the time I got sent to Iraq he disappeared with her and the two boys. When I got back from Iraq I could not find them.
Then I moved to Georgia over Labor Day weekend 2010, due to my current civilian employer consolidating offices. Started hanging out with a coworker, someone I now call friend, who is a good solid Christian man who, through his actions and planting seeds made me rethink “the whole church thingâ€. He helped me get on a path back to God.
Summer 2011 I finally decided it was time to go back to a Church and had done some research and picked out my first church to visit. Boy was I nervous! I tend to run early out of habit, and that morning was no exception, so I sat down in front of my computer before service and signed into Facebook … and through that medium, and a childhood friend with a unique name, found my little sister. Spent that morning, the morning I had promised God I was going to go to a physical church, talking to my beloved little sister.
She’s now safe, as are the boys, and the abuser has passed away. I started church “shopping†the next week, and visited many places.
Summer 2011 also landed this quiet, shy, southern gentleman in the cube next to me, as a temp to help with this massive project we had going on at the office. We started talking, then it progressed to hanging out at lunch at work, then he invited me to his brother’s place for something … and well, it has been a full year we’ve been dating now.
I’m settled in to a church I love, and feel I am serving the Lord properly there. My sister is happy and we’ve been catching up with our lives.
All because I said Lord, will you forgive me for my multitude of sins? And he said Yes …
Growing up religion wasn't much discussed in our house, never knew why, I think it may be just the generation my parents were and their personalities. But in high school I started going with some friends to a baptist church and it was interesting. I had a small group of supposed friends. I seemed to be accepted, which was something frequently lacking in my life at that point. I did the things they did including being baptized.
Towards the end of high school I met a gentleman and we dated for some time and then got engaged. After high school I went to the army (planned) and got married and started a life. I was barely 18 at this point, and he was 21.
Well, of course we immediately started having issues but were too
young/immature to figure our way out.
So I did what I thought was right, talked to some of the more mature married ladies at the church we were going to near my military post at the time. Their response was to "obey thy husband", but had no real helpful information on HOW to do that.
We were fighting constantly over everything, but the root of the fights ultimately was kids. He wanted to start a family right away. I wanted to wait a couple of years so I was settled in my career and we were more and we knew each other – and let’s be honest, ourselves – a bit better. Neither of us could compromise.
It blew up, big time. I won’t go into details but it was very bad and very hurtful. So I walked away … from everything, both the marriage and the church. In my rash immature mind I figure it was all a lie anyway so why continue with it? I packed up my personal belongings and moved into the barracks and that was that.
That was over 20 years ago.
Fast forward through 20 years of questionable activities, 2 wars (I caught both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom), multiple moves in pursuit of a computer career …
Somewhere along that road I lost my sister. She married a gentleman who was abusive, and they had 2 children. Right about the time I got sent to Iraq he disappeared with her and the two boys. When I got back from Iraq I could not find them.
Then I moved to Georgia over Labor Day weekend 2010, due to my current civilian employer consolidating offices. Started hanging out with a coworker, someone I now call friend, who is a good solid Christian man who, through his actions and planting seeds made me rethink “the whole church thingâ€. He helped me get on a path back to God.
Summer 2011 I finally decided it was time to go back to a Church and had done some research and picked out my first church to visit. Boy was I nervous! I tend to run early out of habit, and that morning was no exception, so I sat down in front of my computer before service and signed into Facebook … and through that medium, and a childhood friend with a unique name, found my little sister. Spent that morning, the morning I had promised God I was going to go to a physical church, talking to my beloved little sister.
She’s now safe, as are the boys, and the abuser has passed away. I started church “shopping†the next week, and visited many places.
Summer 2011 also landed this quiet, shy, southern gentleman in the cube next to me, as a temp to help with this massive project we had going on at the office. We started talking, then it progressed to hanging out at lunch at work, then he invited me to his brother’s place for something … and well, it has been a full year we’ve been dating now.
I’m settled in to a church I love, and feel I am serving the Lord properly there. My sister is happy and we’ve been catching up with our lives.
All because I said Lord, will you forgive me for my multitude of sins? And he said Yes …
