Forgiving your abuser
Forgiving your abuser
This weighs on my mind daily. I was raised in a very Christian household (my father is a pastor). It is important to me to instill these values in my children. The exN of course could not wrap his head around organized religion and even went so far as to try to stop me from having our children baptized. (Why go to church when he is "God" - right?)
Anyway, I have been in a relationship with my current boyfried for 2 years now and he is a wonderful man - very caring, very compassionate, very affectionate with his kids and a great role model for my kids.
We attend the same church each week. The sermon this morning was about forgiveness. It was about ridding your soul of the toxic burden of grudges or regret. I have a very hard time forgiving my exN for the hurt he caused me over the years. I find that even after being divorced for about 3 years, that I was just a shell of my real self the entire time we were married. I was just going through the motions of wife, mother, boss and employee. I was not able to have my own desires or dreams realized, and was not able to even have time for myself. My divorce was the best thing that ever happened to me because it gave me freedom. My children even noticed the difference.
However, my resentment for the former spouse has not disappeared. He is awful with the way he treats my children (as compared to his new step children) and when my kids are involved, the gloves come off.
When cirucmstances bother me about my children and their father, my current boyfriend thinks that I still carry a torch for the former N. (Ick) I tell him that I will always carry a torch for my children. He gets that. But he says that there is always something that he does that bothers me and I am always in fear of what he will do next. He said that he still has a hold on me - to the point that no other man can...
I want to be able to forgive my exN and rid myself of this burden of resentment. I don't want it to kill my joy going forward. I just don't know how that is possible when my children are suffering and I have to sit back and watch as they learn what a psycho their dad really is. Plus, I am in the middle of litigation with the exN to get him to finally man up and handle more of the financial obligation for the care of his children.
Any advice?
forgiveness
never forgive a non-human predator
Funny,,,,I was thinking about the act of forgiveness today