A Different Road

Twelve years ago, a wonderful thing happened. Ironically, it should have been devastating, but I felt an incredible sense of relief shortly after it happened. This is a part of my life that few people know, not that I'm hiding anything, it's just not something I talk about. Still...when an anniversary of an event happens, I can't help but reflect a little and thank God for letting it happen.

What's this big event? My fiance broke up with me. Initially, I was worried that I'd never find the right person, that I'd be single forever, that my life wouldn't turn out the way I pictured it. But I was never all that sad about this man leaving my life.

It's amazing the things I found out about him after we broke up...things he had skillfully hidden from me. I slowly realized that I had been manipulated, controlled, used, as well as abused mentally and emotionally.

As the initial shock wore off that day and the uncertainty about the future started to sink in, I called a friend for one of those heart-to-heart talks. I cried, I sighed in relief, I worried, and I asked my friend to pray. Knowing that sleep would probably not come to me that night, my friend opened the Bible and read these words to me over the phone:

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

My friend gave me permission to sleep, knowing that God would keep the night watch for me.

You know, I ended up marrying my friend...