A Tale of Two Relationships

Happy Easter Everyone. Christ has risen, and we are redeemed.

An old young friend of mine was married yesterday. I met him in about 2001 when he was a callow and coltish 17. I retained the friendship when he became a stupid 18 who had watched "Princess Bride" too many times and he joined the Army so that he could go away and make a name for himself, then return home many years later to the long-faithful girl and live happily ever after. (PS. that never works.) We had bonded over his writing because I was one of the few who would give him honest editing and reviews - and I'd put up with his ranting, patiently waiting for him to finally stop being a pompous critter and deal with whatever the problem was. When he was a stripped bare, warn raw, sick and weary 21 year old who had experienced too much war and lost sight of God I told him things would get better, and that some day he'd be happy again. He said I lied, and that there would never be love in his life. I kept in contact with him because I knew that beyond that Slough of Despond there was God and love. First, about three years back he slowly found that God was still God. After that, he slowly found love with a young lady. Their wedding yesterday was like as to God restoring Job. They are crazy in love with each other - and both crazy in love with God. I love a happy beginning, don't you?

I met a young lady at Church today that I hadn't seen in quite a while.* Christmas 2006 we became acquainted whilst working on the Christmas program at Church, and not too long after that I didn't see her around anymore. I expected that she had gone away to college, or moved away for a job as young people are bound to do at about that age. I listened to her story and I'm sad to say that was not the case. Evidently she met a guy about Valentines 2007 and within just a month or two they were dating, and just as swiftly were living together. "I thought he was the right man, and so what we were doing was OK." she sadly told the small group of women that had gathered to chat. She became pregnant, and they Married in July. He lost his job, and joined the Air Force - she followed him to his first duty station just before the next Christmas. By the time their son was born, he had started cheating on her, and although she tried hard to make things work out, by their first anniversary their marriage was over. She tried to make it on her own, but just couldn't climb out from under the huge pile of debt he left for her. She's back in town now - living with her parents and working retail. Part of picking up wreck she made of her life is finding her way back to God - The God who just a couple of years ago she shoved aside because she knew how to better handle her life.

I know that God will make something good out of this second situation, just as he did the first. The return path to God is always, in my experience, harder than the path that leads us away. There's no real point to this. just something to ponder.

*if you think you know who this is, you don't. enough details have been changed to throw you way off track.

Cheers! ~Marci