I decided to put this over here simply because I really didn't know where it fit If it doesn’t here mods, just please move it for me and I'll try to do better next time.

Back in 2016, my wife of 2 years and l were fighting a lot Oddly enough, it had nothing to do with money, but a lot to do with family and trust. She didn't like my parents making unannounced visits or some of the things they said, and I felt that her mom was meddling and very controlling. It all came to a head one day when she decided to take our infant son, and leave me for good. I was extremely depressed. I even wondered what purpose that I had in life, even though I thought I was a Christian.
It was right then that the Lord himself gave me a vision of my infant son. "Here is you a purpose right here." I clung to that for dear life throughout my divorce and my life after divorce. I did get partial custody of my son, and, with the Lord and my parents ' help, I fought back when my ex-wife violated our custody agreement. I take time to spend time with my son to enjoy him and being around him. Yes, I am an overprotective dad, and I do need to step back and let my son have some independence, even though it's very hard for me to do. Just wanted to share that moment on this board, and I am sure that even though I don't know why I shared it, the Lord does, and to Him be the glory.

Amen and God Bless you and your family.

(02-27-2023 08:22 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  I decided to put this over here simply because I really didn't know where it fit If it doesn’t here mods, just please move it for me and I'll try to do better next time.

Back in 2016, my wife of 2 years and l were fighting a lot Oddly enough, it had nothing to do with money, but a lot to do with family and trust. She didn't like my parents making unannounced visits or some of the things they said, and I felt that her mom was meddling and very controlling. It all came to a head one day when she decided to take our infant son, and leave me for good. I was extremely depressed. I even wondered what purpose that I had in life, even though I thought I was a Christian.
It was right then that the Lord himself gave me a vision of my infant son. "Here is you a purpose right here." I clung to that for dear life throughout my divorce and my life after divorce. I did get partial custody of my son, and, with the Lord and my parents ' help, I fought back when my ex-wife violated our custody agreement. I take time to spend time with my son to enjoy him and being around him. Yes, I am an overprotective dad, and I do need to step back and let my son have some independence, even though it's very hard for me to do. Just wanted to share that moment on this board, and I am sure that even though I don't know why I shared it, the Lord does, and to Him be the glory.

You have remained in my prayers. You are watering, nurturing, and caring for a little person who is growing yearly and what you do now is how he will remember you when he is old, has a son, and needs advice and a role model in his life. God will use his memories of you to comfort him, guide him, and help him to raise his children, even if you are not still around. Your witness will not have been in vain.

I always enjoyed reminding people of the Psalms verse about, "Train a child up in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it." Do you see what is missing? The time between when they were trained as children, and when they are old. In Hebrew culture you became a man at 32. It doesn't say anything about the years in between. We can't control their willfulness and minimize their mistakes when they think they are invincible. We all sin and fall short. What will be most important to your son is to see how when he has erred, he can pick himself up, turn to God, or back to God, and make his life mean something as his heavenly Father instructs him, and as his earthly father has shown him. Hopefully you will be blessed to be there the whole time. But nothing you do to witness by actions to your children goes unnoticed. Those memories, your actions now, your instruction now, will speak to him whether you are there or not. And God knew that even when you could not see it for the pain. And everything you have done will be remembered.

My dad has been gone for 14 years now. He is with me in my mind and in my heart every day, and I've never forgotten him, or the good lessons, or a few bad lessons, I learned from him. And in my mind both kinds of lessons have been used for the good. That is grace for imperfect parents. And we all are imperfect. If your child knows your love for God, he'll know where to turn and will have already witnessed trust. And even through your mistakes, he will find a solid lesson and learn about the Grace of God as he relives his time with you either in person, or in his mind.

Our minds were built to span time. We look back at all who were important in our lives and bring them forth with our memory even when they are gone, and we look around at the world today and its wickedness and its goodness and we can see what tomorrow will bring and who we can trust to overcome it. Our memories inform our vision, and our dreams, which are usually our hopes. And faith sees us through the difficult times because we are never alone. God is eternal, and the love of those who raised us and taught us remains with us all of our days here, and in grace, beyond.

You can walk through all darkness brother, because you know the light!

I was divorced from my wife when my son was 8 and my daughter was 5. I moved away to Atlanta for 3 of the most miserable years of my life. When I lost my job and my daughter asked me to move back home I said yes immediately. Fortunately my former wife understood the need for me to be a strong presence in our children's lives and after my return I saw my kids virtually every day. Whether it was picking them up from school and taking them to her house when she got home from work or having them on weekends whenever I wished or they wished to visit or coaching my son in baseball and football or taking my daughter to her horseback riding lessons, I was always there. I was there for graduations, I sent my son to foreign countries to study and watched him graduate with honors. I watched my daughter walk down the aisle where I gave her away at her wedding. I was there at the hospital for the delivery of every one of my grandchildren. I wasn't there because I had to be, I was there because there was no where else I was supposed to be. I passed that on to my son at the birth of his first child at way too early an age and I told him "you are here in this position at this time because YOU were the one chosen by God to raise this child because YOU are the one best suited for it.

I wasn't the best father in the world BUT, I was there. If there's one bit of advice I can give it is to be there. And it sounds like you don't need the advice because you are there, right there where God intended. Well done. You don't have to be there you know, there is nothing holding you there except your own conscience and morality and the love of a child.

I applaud you.

(03-02-2023 02:49 AM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-27-2023 08:22 PM)DawgNBama Wrote:  I decided to put this over here simply because I really didn't know where it fit If it doesn’t here mods, just please move it for me and I'll try to do better next time.

Back in 2016, my wife of 2 years and l were fighting a lot Oddly enough, it had nothing to do with money, but a lot to do with family and trust. She didn't like my parents making unannounced visits or some of the things they said, and I felt that her mom was meddling and very controlling. It all came to a head one day when she decided to take our infant son, and leave me for good. I was extremely depressed. I even wondered what purpose that I had in life, even though I thought I was a Christian.
It was right then that the Lord himself gave me a vision of my infant son. "Here is you a purpose right here." I clung to that for dear life throughout my divorce and my life after divorce. I did get partial custody of my son, and, with the Lord and my parents ' help, I fought back when my ex-wife violated our custody agreement. I take time to spend time with my son to enjoy him and being around him. Yes, I am an overprotective dad, and I do need to step back and let my son have some independence, even though it's very hard for me to do. Just wanted to share that moment on this board, and I am sure that even though I don't know why I shared it, the Lord does, and to Him be the glory.

You have remained in my prayers. You are watering, nurturing, and caring for a little person who is growing yearly and what you do now is how he will remember you when he is old, has a son, and needs advice and a role model in his life. God will use his memories of you to comfort him, guide him, and help him to raise his children, even if you are not still around. Your witness will not have been in vain.

I always enjoyed reminding people of the Psalms verse about, "Train a child up in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it." Do you see what is missing? The time between when they were trained as children, and when they are old. In Hebrew culture you became a man at 32. It doesn't say anything about the years in between. We can't control their willfulness and minimize their mistakes when they think they are invincible. We all sin and fall short. What will be most important to your son is to see how when he has erred, he can pick himself up, turn to God, or back to God, and make his life mean something as his heavenly Father instructs him, and as his earthly father has shown him. Hopefully you will be blessed to be there the whole time. But nothing you do to witness by actions to your children goes unnoticed. Those memories, your actions now, your instruction now, will speak to him whether you are there or not. And God knew that even when you could not see it for the pain. And everything you have done will be remembered.

My dad has been gone for 14 years now. He is with me in my mind and in my heart every day, and I've never forgotten him, or the good lessons, or a few bad lessons, I learned from him. And in my mind both kinds of lessons have been used for the good. That is grace for imperfect parents. And we all are imperfect. If your child knows your love for God, he'll know where to turn and will have already witnessed trust. And even through your mistakes, he will find a solid lesson and learn about the Grace of God as he relives his time with you either in person, or in his mind.

Our minds were built to span time. We look back at all who were important in our lives and bring them forth with our memory even when they are gone, and we look around at the world today and its wickedness and its goodness and we can see what tomorrow will bring and who we can trust to overcome it. Our memories inform our vision, and our dreams, which are usually our hopes. And faith sees us through the difficult times because we are never alone. God is eternal, and the love of those who raised us and taught us remains with us all of our days here, and in grace, beyond.

You can walk through all darkness brother, because you know the light!