“I never should have divorced my first wife.”

I’ve heard this statement several times and it always strikes me as odd. That is, until you dig into the deeper meaning.

I responded to one gentleman, “Why are you having regrets? You got what you wanted. You got away. You got your freedom back. It’s hard to work through conflict and differences. You are older and smarter. You got to make another choice and surely you made a better relationship decision.”

The gentleman continued with his regrets. He commented on the thinking of his younger self. “I was young. I was selfish. And, I was stupid.”

He continued, “She loved me so much. She was trying to help me. All she wanted was for us to work on growth. She had relationship smarts. I did not. She kept trying to build a deeper connection. I had no idea what that meant. She was showing me the path forward. I thought it was so painful but all she was doing was pointing out my emotional weaknesses. And, she was the one who knew about bonding, closeness, and intimacy. Silly me. I just thought we were playing the children’s game-King of the Hill. And, I had to win. But, in winning, I lost.”

Prayer

Father, sometimes in my youth I have made poor choices. I look back with sadness. My immature thinking made me and those around me suffer. Thank you for wisdom and maturity. Grow me today and for the next 1,000 days. Amen.

Meditate on this piece of scripture.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
Ephesians 5:28b NKJV