In the aftermath of the Ashley Madison hack, there are so many wives walking through the valley of brokenness right now. My heart breaks for their hearts. I’ve felt the nudge for a few days to write this article and today, I knew it was the right time.
The silent burden you’re carrying seems too heavy to lift some days. The hurt, the extreme hurt, seems to reach directly down to your bones. The knife stabbing pains of a broken heart. There are days where the pain literally takes away your ability to breathe.
Things that once looked so familiar to you now look like things you don’t even recognize. The coffee pot he made coffee in each morning while he was lying to you. The couch you snuggled on while watching tv while he was lying to you. The stairs you both walked up to your bedroom while he was lying to you. The socks he put on each morning while he was lying to you. Literally every single item in your house is filled with lies. And as you glance around each day, that is what you see.
Some might say take comfort in knowing you aren’t suffering alone, that there are so many other women across the US {including Anna Duggar} walking this same path. You find no comfort in that. None. Truth is the valley you are walking through is dark, cold, lonely and so very scary. Along the path is hurt, anger and bitterness.
Let me speak directly to your heart sweet girl. God wants to hold your broken heart in His hands. That is the only way. Listen to my words and let me say it again…that is the ONLY way. He can heal your broken heart and He will heal it. But first you must give Him all the pieces. The challenge is first finding all of the pieces. Like shards of broken glass, the pieces weave themselves so very deep into our hearts. And I’m sure Satan is right there, breaking the pieces smaller and hiding them better.
The pain touches a deep, vulnerable place often known only to God. When hurting is the only thing you can feel, it is such a lonely place to be.
So many times when we are going through pain, we are told to get over it, move on and let it go. They don’t understand how slow this hurt heals. The world offers so many ways to numb the pain, but they are only temporary fixes. Please oh please don’t fall for that trap. And if we turn to them, then we aren’t allowing God to heal our hurt. Allowing Him to search and heal our hearts is the only true way to have them healed. Only He knows the deepness and complexity of our pain.
Don’t suffer through your grief alone. Don’t be unwilling to be vulnerable with God. And please, even though you are angry, don’t blame God. Give Him your heart, hand it over to Him to search and find all those little pieces of hurt and allow His hands to heal it as only He can.
When it feels like all hope is lost, hand that relationship over to God. It’s so easy to make rash decisions while our heart is broken. Many days, divorce sounds like the best and sometimes easiest option. And maybe that will be the end result for your relationship. If it is, cling to God like never before and allow Him to carry you through it. But maybe God has a beautiful reconciliation full of grace planned for you. Often times the relationship, once it has endured the storm, will come out of it stronger and new. Through all the conversations, all the deepness, you now know each other differently. This is the blessing of true healing from the hands of God.
I know even reading this post made your heart ache and the tears flow. I wish so very much I could reach through this screen and give you a big hug and just cry with you. One day the hurt will be a little less, I promise. And that will feel like the first “good day” you’ve ever had. And each week, there will be more glimpses of sunshine. Eventually your good days will run together, and smiles and laughter will abound. Trust me, you will get there if you allow God to heal your heart. He brings beauty from the ashes.
You will move on past this. You will hold your head high, knowing the storm may have knocked you down but it didn’t win.
