“I Didn’t Have a True Husband; I Had an Enemy”

Last night I got in the letter below. Its author hopes it might prove encouraging to others.

A few years ago, when I initially read your Seven Reasons mini-book, I was in denial.  I thought I was married to someone difficult but not abusive. Then one day his temper took a turn and he started throwing things, and my eyes were opened to who he really was.

It took almost a year for me to come to terms with the fact I wanted to leave. I believed in marriage, believed in a He who could do anything, believed  in my own love for a man who everyday became more of a stranger. But I realized something: everyone has a choice.  My husband had the choice to reject conviction and grow more abusive. And I had the choice to get my kids out of that house and to safety.

Your work was invaluable to me, as evidence that while some people might see me as a failure in my Christian duty, other people have brains and sensitivity. Other people understand. No one has to live with abuse, and when I look back at the years of escalating anger and manipulations, I wonder why it took me so long to realize I didn’t have a true husband, I had an enemy.

In any case, the war is over.  Thank you for being there for me, even if you didn’t know it at the time.