After Mike quit going to church, I felt betrayed.  He knew that I wanted to be married to a man who shared my faith.  He came to church with me and inserted himself into that part of my life.  He had been baptized, volunteered in church activities,and gave me sweet taste of what it would be like to share this important part of my life with the man I loved and the father of my child.  Then, he took it away. 

So, what was I supposed to do now?  I talked to a nice woman I met at church.  I had noticed that she always came alone, sat alone, and left alone.  She also had a ring on her finger so she was or had been married.  When we talked, I asked her about her husband.  It was a little forward of me but she was kind enough to share part of her story.  She said that she had married young, before she really knew anything.  Her husband had never really wanted to go to church and only went a few times after they got married.  This woman, I'll call her Tammy, said that she was so depressed after her husband quit going to church with her that she also quit.  She stayed away from church for 5 years.  She and her husband had three children and she thought everything was fine, but at times, she felt like something was missing despite her happiness with her life and her children.  One day, she realized that her children didn't have any knowledge of God.  She tried to come back to church but her family was used to doing other things on Sunday's and her husband didn't support her efforts to bring the children.  Tammy gave up trying to go to church but came back after her children were grown.  She was sad because they continued to live their lives without God.

AFter speaking with Tammy, I was even more determined to make sure that my daughter would have a firm foundation by bringing her to church.  It was so hard sometimes.  There were so many mornings when I was tired and it was chore to get myself ready and get her ready.  I did talk to Mike and I told him how important it was to me to do this but I needed his support.  I agreed not to nag him, at least not too much, as long as he would support my efforts to raise our daughter with a foundation in church, knowledge of God and Jesus.  Mike said that he didn't know if he believed that Jesus was the only way.  As far as I was concerned, that was a leap of faith that he would need to make.  As far as our daughter was concerned, she would be raised with my faith.  I was adamant about this.  Mike didn't know what he believed and I didn't want our daughter to be a willow in the wind, trying this religion or that religion because she didn't have anything to used as a measuring stick.  Jesus was going to be the measuring stick that I could give her.  Mike finally agreed to support me, mostly I think because I didn't let it go.  I am so thankful for his support because I needed it when my oldest daughter became a teenager and wanted to quit going to church.  But, that's another tale.  Still, I had to deal with my feelings of anger and disappointment.  I will write about that next Sunday.  If you are facing the prospect of going to church alone or staying home, I urge you to go.  It is hard and sometimes lonely, but know that you are not alone.  There are others who are experiencing those same feelings.  When you feel the urge to connect with God, know that He is there waiting for you.  When you walk into His church, He is there, waiting just for you.


I will continue my story with a new post next Sunday. If you would like to leave a comment, I would love to hear from me. Share your thoughts, a story, an insight, or anything else. Select the comment link below the post.