Article January 15, 2007 Issue

GRATITUDE FREED ME FROM AN ABUSIVE MARRIAGE

BY SHARON JEFFREY

Since childhood, I've been taught that all good comes from God, ever-present divine Love, and that we, as the children of God, reflect that goodness. I love the Bible assurance that "your joy no man taketh from you" and have proven it many times.

But there was a period in my life when I found it hard to be happy. My husband physically and verbally abused me, usually when he was drunk. Evil seemed prevalent in my life. I was miserable, and I thought I would be miserable forever. I also worried about the influence the abuse was having on our children.

There were glimmers of hope during those trying years, and times when I thought my husband would become kind again. But the old patterns of behavior always returned.