BLESSED WITH HIS JOY

by James Sons (Bradenton, FL)

On Friday, June 2, I returned home from a doctor’s appointment with results to share with my caring wife, Kay, only to discover a letter on the kitchen counter. It was what I call a Dear John—“I know you won’t believe this, but I do love you. I just need time alone.” I just about fell over. Kay never said where she was going, who she was going with, or how long she would be gone. I was in shock, hurt and in total disbelief.
 

With Kay gone our home became a house. Our beautiful (Garden of Eden) backyard became just a backyard. Everything simply lost all of its meaning and beauty to me. I felt so helpless and defeated. I didn’t understand why she had gone or how she could feel justified in not telling me that there was anything this drastic happening in our relationship. Well, I soon found out.
 

The following Tuesday Kay and I had our first meeting with Pastor Vin and Pastor Laura.. Kay said I had been verbally and emotionally abusing her for a long time. The odd thing was I wasn’t even aware of it most of the time, but that day I realized it had been worse than I thought. The pain had been building up in Kay and causing her to be on edge and upset on a regular basis. I would justify my abusive behavior by blaming it on her actions—what I thought to be misbehavior.
 

My main reason for writing this letter (without all the devastating details) is to say I thank and praise God (although I wish He would have been a little easier on me) for revealing all of this to me. I am thankful that Kay and I are both Christians and love our Lord. I’m also grateful for the Christian friends and support groups he put in my life. Without them I would not be writing this letter today.

Through this horrifying experience God showed me the importance of communicating with Kay rather than holding things inside. I have also learned the value of forgiveness and letting go of my pride. Those two weeks seemed like two years. It was a very difficult experience, but I grew from it and now thank God for His blessings.
 

Every married couple who is interested in experiencing a blessed and most loving marriage must read The Man of Her Dreams, The Woman of His by Joel & Kathy Davisson. I have extra copies of this book available to anyone who wants to have their socks blessed off! Please feel free to call me at 302-3293.
 

God is blessing my relationship with Kay daily. He is showing me how to love and respect my beloved wife the way He desires me to. When I do that, I am so very blessed and filled with His joy.