How do you deal with the pain of broken relationships? There are two paths:

1. Recognize they're always the result of sin and wrongdoing and allow for repencence and reconciliation or

2. Allow the pain to continue to erode your life.

They're both painful, but one provides temporary pain before deliverance.

There can be no more devestating result than a broken relationship. If you aren't dealing with conflict in a godly way, it can only become deeper, more exagerated and distorted, opening a wide door in your mind for Sat5an to come into your mind and cause you harassment.

If you're going through relationship hassles, I urge you to walk with the Lord and let him, his church, and your fellow blievers to help you. Even a messed up relationship is better than a broken one. Take it from someone who divorced and regretted it (me) and who had a good second marriage, but one that could've been better had we been walking with the Lord.

TD Jakes just preached a good one on this at the Potter's House. He says you can watch video of this at his web site.

I hope these words can inspire you and cause you to think as they have me.

Geo.

why are those my only 2 options?

Sorry too much to read

Um, yeah, neither option fits. Oh, second one happens sometimes. But why assume that sin is the reason a relationship doesn't work out. That seems a mighty big leap.

really now

It was true in my two marriages, unfortunately. I offer this here in case it can help someone. If not, disregard. As they say on SNL, "Never mind!"

(((Brian)))

read what you wrote over & over again

It worked in BOTH of your marriages?
Yet you are single again?

(((((slnt)))))

LOL!! I read 5 words and thought....too much reading.

to my room...stat

I was wondering this too... and I'm a lil unsure how 2 marriages is "godly"

Yeah, I became single again when my second wife passed away. We'd been married over 10 years and she was great. Me, not so, with my 20-20 hind sight.

And thanks for all the perspective here. Sometimes I get to thinking mine is the only perspective and need to be reminded that there's other ways of looking at things out there.

Geo.

my sympathy for your loss I may not be on the same page as you as how to deal with things, but that doesn't make me right either. Anyway that gives you some comfort and peace, more power to you

So sorry you lost your wife

So Sorry Geo for your loss

Two marriages ain't godly. I wasn't walking with the Lord when my first broke up, unfortunately and I'm struggling with guilt and remorse over that now. Billy Graham was preaching against adultery last night and I read how God hates divorce in Malachi today. It tears me up.

There's times when Divorce is OK'd and sanctioned by the church, ie times of abuse or adultery, but times when it ain't too. The only thing I have to fall back on is the Lord's mercy and my ability to go on from here, you know?

And thanks for the kind comments on the loss of my wife. I'm tore up about that, too. It's absolutely the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

I’ve never had a failed relationship so I have nothing to offer on the topic. I have no clue what it takes to fail at a relationship.

I can offer advice on how not to get into relationships though,…

1. Be extremely picky about who you choose to commit to.
2. Never fall in love with someone who is simultaneously in love with you.

If you can do both of these then you’ll end up like me. A lonely old single person.

But at least you won’t have had any failed relationship.

Note to Yashafox,…

I hope you get a chance to try out your new theory and it works for you in your next relationship.

Sorry to hear of your loss, especially if you feel that you weren't the best spouse you could have been. For what it's worth I think we all feel that way when someone passes. I took really great care of my aging mother the last 6 years of her life. And even so, when she finally passed on I still felt guilty about not having taken better care of her. I think it's natural to always feel that way in hindsight.

Thanks, Abra. One problem was my wife had two medications that looked very similar: a white capsule and a light brown capsule that in low light looked identical. In hindsight, it would've been better to get one changed to a pill so they couldn't have been mixed up, either that or get them in daily bubble packs.

She also got real weak toward the end. We had a doc's appointment for Sept 20th and I was waiting for that and she passed away the 13th. In hind sight, I said I'd wished I'd took her to the doc's earlier. She'd took too much medication the night she passed away, too. I looked at the web sites for the medication and they said, call poison control, not seek medical help. We delayed going to the hospital, and it turned out to be a bad decision. If you have someone around who's overdosed, seek medical help, no matter what the directions say.