Testimony

I was always very close to my father. I chose to live with him when my parents divorced. I was old enough to choose, and did not want to leave my friends and my home. It was very hard for my mother and for all of us. Back then my Dad would tell me that my mother did not love me or she would not have left me with him. It is now 12 years since they divorced and he is angry with me for having a relationship with my mother.
She has always been wonderful to me. I have children of my own now and my father actually said that he does not want me to raise them to know her (my mother, their grandmother.)
He is bitter and angry all these years later. I have tried to show him the error in this but we all know we cannot change others.
He is a Christian and states that he feels that God forgives him for the way he feels about my mother. Even so, I have told him that I do not want to discuss mother with him. He always has horrible things to say about her. Though I have drawn a boundary, he refuses to respect that. We have not spoken much in the last year. I used to visit him quite often, but have not been doing so.
The Lord has really spoken to me through Free Bible Email this past month. I was busy trying to find scripture that would tell me that it was okay not to have a relationship with my father since he was being so hurtful to me and verbally abusive toward my mother. However, I kept being sent daily devotionals talking about love.
It finally hit me that I am the one who has become bitter. I am very angry with him. I am bitter and angry over all of the years of pain caused by the divorce.
I cannot change my father, but can work on showing him love. I do not feel love right now, but as it the daily devotionals pointed out...Love is not a feeling, it is an act. As scripture says, "Love is patient and kind. It is not easily provoked. It does not remember past hurts."
Thank you for the Free Bible emails and for the daily devotionals that spoke to me during a very difficult time.
Please pray that I can treat my father in a loving way and continue to keep proper boundaries. Please pray for my father that he can find peace.
Thank you!!

My mother is the same way about my honor toward my dad. By commandment "Honor thy Mother and Father" when God ordered this he did not set conditions. Your father would be serving God if he would support your choice to honor your mother. As a child my father ran off with different women and was most often out of the home. He never supported me financially as a child. When he has stayed with me, he has stolen money from me, and has ponded items off from my home to buy alcohol. He disapears for years at a time when he finds friends to drink with. A year ago I found him very ill living under a billboard in Florida. I had a home that I was fixing up but do not live in that I provide for him. I do not give him money as he will buy alcohol, I send food and supply utlitities for him. Through God all things can be accomplished. I emancipated at 16 and complete college. Today I am married with children of my own. I serve my heavenly father and still honor my parents. My children respect thier grandfather as well. We pray for him.

Reading your prayer request my sister, I can honestly say that I know what you're going through. The difference is that my ex-husband of five years has been attempting to posion my son against me. He constantly tell my son that I don't love him and that I'm the reason that his family is not together. It has only been through much prayer and fasting that I have been able to released all that he said and done. I too developed a seed of bitterness. I wanted him to feel the raft of God for all of the pain that he caused me. But then I knew that this bitterness was hindering my prayers and causing sickness to occur. I can safely say now that God has changed my heart. My prayer now is, Father allow me to see my ex-husband through your eyes. Cause him to lose his way in that he will cry out to find YOU, your grace and mercy. It is my prayer that he will have a healthy relationship with our son. I have also told my son that his father and are equally responsbile for the marriage not working. I apologized for whatever hurt that I brought to his life. I told him to always remember that I love him and to pray for his father. I will never do or say anything to change his opinion of his father. Any changes will be the result of his father actions or words. It still hurts to see what his father has done because it always affects my son negatively. I will continue to pray over my son, speak the word over my son as well as pled the Blood of Jesus. Having done all of that, I continue to stand and know that my prayers will be answered. I truly wish that he will be able to put this behind him and that he can go forward with his life.

My sister continue to pray for your father, embrace him with the love of the Lord. Honor him as your father at the same time continue to Honor your mother. Stand-up for your relationship with your mother. I too will agree with you that God will change the heart of your father. Be Blessed.

Hello,

Allow the devine love of JESUS to flow through you on a daily basis. YOU MUST GO TO A QUIET PLACE AND MEDITATE. Then, watch what he will do for you!

Human beings are "fragile" and each of us respond differently to pain. However, some people choose to stay trapped in there pain.

If your father is trying to validate his anger based on scripture, then he is reading the wrong book.

GOD BLESS, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

Praise God!!

You have taken the most important step you can make towards healing your family. You can not make your Dad change but you can change yourself. As you pray for your Dad, and act towards him in a loving way, God will gradualy give you heart that will love your Dad. As you take "action" you will find that your emotions will follow. It may take time or it may be quick but be consistant and persistant and God will change you from the inside to the outside!!

God bless you and your family. We are praying for you.