IN ORDER TO HEAL... A BREAK MAY BE NECESSARY. Part 2
He then concludes. “Herein lies the double-edged sword of creating geographical and emotional distance in our relationships. When we’re hurt, creating distance is a good thing; distance guards our hearts. It allows us to heal and recover emotionally. It allows us to regain relational stability and plot our next course of action. Distance is a natural, healthy, God-honoring initial response to buy time to figure out how to process what we’re thinking and feeling…but maintaining relational distance from people, as a way of life is not. The place of safety inside ourselves that we retreat to eventually becomes the place where our lonely, relationally starved soul begins to die.”[ii]
In reading this after I returned from Australia, it added to my understanding of why God wanted me to take a sabbatical and attend to my soul issues. I needed to place David, my hurt, and our marriage aside to attend to a much bigger problem. I NO LONGER TRUSTED GOD...YES, I BELIEVED IN HIM, BUT I DID NOT TRUST HIM! This coupled with the devastation of betrayal was too convoluted to tackle in tandem.
Though I created distance for this distinct purpose, I had to come back and finish the work of healing— within my marriage. Continual isolation from the messiness was not the answer, but neither was my focusing on the marriage when there was bigger issues at play. I needed to re-learn how to trust God and His love when life was not good, before He could give me the power to work on my marriage.
I was truly blessed to have this opportunity and realize not too many people are in a position to just up and leave, so unless God specifically tells you to do so—don’t. I also want to point out there was a price to pay financially. I would never trade this time for anything, but I do not want to paint a picture less than true. There was a decided drop in my clientele, as people do not wait around without physical training for three months.
God understood fully the value of my leaving, and now looking back it all makes sense. But at the time, forging out alone took enormous trust, which was exactly God’s point.
To be Continued...
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About the author
Blossom Turner is an award-winning novelist, and a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, and former newspaper columnist on health and fitness. A Word Guild semi-finalist for Anna's Secret, Katherine's Arrangement, Amelia’s Heartsong, and a Word Guild winner for Best Romance for Lucinda’s Defender. She has found her home in the writing of historical fiction but is open to wherever God leads. The many 5-star reviews attest to the power of love and romance authentically woven into the Shenandoah Bride Series about five sisters and their five love stories.
Blossom lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, David, of forty years and their dog Lacey named after Lacey Spring, Virginia, where this series takes place. A former businesswoman, personal trainer, and mother of two grown children she is now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing full-time. A hopeless romantic at heart, she believes all story should give the reader significant entertainment value. However, her writing embodies the struggles of real life. She infuses the reality of suffering with the hope of Christ to give a healthy dose of relatable encouragement to her reader. Her desire is to leave the reader with a yearning to live for Christ on a deeper level, or at the very least, create a hunger to seek for more.
Co-author Suzie Zanewhich
Suzie is a certified life coach, leader of emotional health, and resource specialist. She has found her niche as a soul coach.
Suzie finds purpose in empowering individuals to move towards growth, healing, and alignment with their authentic self. Suzie is driven by a calling to live authentically, as the person God created her to be, to reach her fullest potential and lead others to do the same. Her passion is to help others find meaning through discovering their strengths, gifts, personality, temperament and core values.
Suzie is a life-long learner, continuously immersing herself in new courses to learn more about human behaviour, relationships, psychology, child development, emotions, trauma and healing. Because of her craving to always learn more she has earned the title of resource specialist in the area of self-discovery.
Suzie Zanewich lives with her husband in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has a patchwork family of four grown children, two daughters, two sons and three granddaughters.
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