*Sigh* Pray for me...

After a couple of meetings, cry on the shoulder sessions with my other church friend who's having marital difficulties, it seems the "support" (empathy and attempting at talking through the feelings with her) has given her the green flag for heading to divorce court. Now, let me make it very clear, I have not encouraged this, in the least - but she's heard what she wants to hear.

Friday, I called her and talked to her on the phone for about 20 minutes - and decided the "I understand, call me if you need to just talk" approach wasn't cutting the mustard. I asked the hard questions, told her of the hardness and unwillingness I was hearing in her heart. I, in short, tried to couple restoring her gently with spurring her to love and doing the right thing. The latter being a bit of a tough love approach....and, I think, it just made her mad.

Me being me, I automatically think, "How could that have gone differently - what could I have done differently to make her hear me?" After a lot of prayer, I think God's answer is that it wasn't me, or the delivery of the words He wanted her to hear, but rather her heart was hard.

She did approach me at church this morning and ask me to meet with her before our small group tonight - so I have hope. If nothing else and she's just telling me how furious she is with me, at least she's feeling her emotions and sharing them; as she is a bottler. But, I hope for it to be far more constructive than that. I'm hoping God is working her, getting her to reconsider her choices. I've been telling her she needs to be still, and know that He is God [ and will work all things for good]....

Pray for wisdom, truth, and love to prevail, to the glory of the Father.