After being a widow for six years, a part of me felt I needed to move on since I was only in my late forties. Not sure how dating was twenty years later, I started by using a Christian dating site.
Bob and I began phone conversations that eventually led to dinners, which in turn led to a relationship. We decided to save on finances, more for convenience, by sharing a home together. Marriage was the plan, so we felt we were doing the right thing in God’s eyes.
But have you ever avoided the inevitable until your insides were sick? Over time, my gut told me our living situation was not right. I prayed for God to guide me, and His path led me to a small women’s group at the church Bob and I attended. Two women became spiritual mentors to me. In loving and discerning ways, they enlightened me that my sinful living was holding me back from true surrender to God.
Repentance is the first step in restoring our fellowship with God. My word for the year, humility, became a carryover for four years. I knew I needed restoration in many ways. My body paid the price that comes with sinful living. I developed autoimmune issues and a host of complications. Stress can wreak havoc on both the mind and the heart, creating a vicious cycle.
Have you ever left a situation, trembling at the thought of how your life could turn out? Being on my own again after ending my relationship with Bob brought fear of the unknown. I feared losing so much in this relationship and starting over again—physically and mentally. But I realized a relationship with God was what I needed most.
Christian counseling navigated me forward, but it took some time. I knew what I did was wrong, but I did it anyway. I needed to work on true repentance to help me gain any semblance of restoration.
After a year of guidance from a professional counselor, I realized I had depended on the wrong relationship to move my life forward. The relationship that my life depends on is with God. He has always been by my side, forgiven my sins time and again, and will continue to guide my path.
Choose carefully where you look for restoration.
Melissa Gween Meek makes North Canton, Ohio, her home base. She is a searching Christian, using the Word and writing devotions and personal essays to deepen her faith. Through her life experiences of losing a spouse at the age of forty-seven and experiencing health struggles, she aspires to help others through her love for putting words of hope on paper. You can find her devotions on Christian Devotions Ministry at https://christiandevotions.us/viewauthor/3668 and Faith at Every Corner at https://www.faithoneverycorner.com.