Recovery

I am a divorce survivor of over 15 years. In addition to that I am also an abuse survivor. Both events are not something that I ever want to repeat in my life but I would not want to take away the growth that occurred because of those storms. Because of the pain from that time in my life, I sought the Lord. I didn't know that was who I was seeking, but the road led me to Him.
I was thinking about this tonight because our Care Group from church met and in that group are some people that are in various stages of separation/divorce recovery. At 43 years of age, I am the veteran survivor in the group. It seems like a strange irony in some ways, but I remember the pain that these men and women are going through right now. The tears that they cry are so fresh in my memory. I thank the Lord that He brought me through the last 15 plus years. I thank Him how He used that heartbreak to draw me to His presence. To make me realize eventually that the emptiness I was feeling was only going to be filled by Him.
I thank Him that not only did I receive His grace and forgiveness, but that I was also able to extend that forgiveness (after a few years I might add) to my first husband. Only then was I able to experience true freedom.