Thursday, March 20, 2008

What can I do to adjust to my father getting remarried?

This is one of those times where there is no easy answer and oh, how I wish there was. My parents divorced when I was 15 and I remember how it felt to be forced to conform to the new family dynamics. It’s extremely difficult and equally as painful. What I want you to remember above all else is that God sees you right where you are and this is no surprise to Him. He knows you’re hurting and He knows why you’re hurting. If at all possible, I suggest you try to have a conversation with your father. Let him know ahead of time that it is very important to you that you have his undivided attention. Cover it in prayer and know what you want to say to him. Be careful not to attack his fiancĂ©e but be honest with how and why she makes you feel as you do. Even though you don’t like her, she is the woman he has chosen to marry and so I think it’s important you be as tactful as possible. Also, tell him you feel ignored. Tell him how important your relationship with him is to you and see if the two of you can come up with some ways to make the time you have together quality time; give him some ideas of things you would like to do with him. Don’t give up on him just yet, this is new to him as well. The only way the 2 of you will have a chance to resolve this is to make sure you are grounded in the Truth and be honest with one another. Give each other some room to make some mistakes while you work through this. And by all means, don’t run away from your Heavenly Father. Run as fast as you can to Him. In all of this chaos, He is the only one that has this under control. Trust Him to get you through this very difficult time. Pour out your heart to Him – let him know your hurts, frustrations, and anger. When you do this, it opens up the door for Him to communicate with you and begin working in a very powerful way. I am a very strong advocate of journaling. I find that when I am able to express my innermost feelings in a very honest way, I begin to see things a little more clearly and journaling helps me to do that. You can incorporate that into your quiet time with God and you might just be amazed at how He shows up! As a child of divorced parents, I understand your pain and will continue to pray for you. I promise you will get through this – no matter how dark it seems right now – you will get through this.

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