hello there,
i feel like i am finally doing the right thing in reaching out. i am a 36 year old, mother of 6, wife, homeschool mom... i have been saved for about 12 years now, we use a christian curriculum for school, i read the word with my children, attend bible studies where i can, i have served in the worship ministry before, but with my youngest haven't been able to return. my husband claims to be a christian. he believes in God. he has no fruit, is depressed, comtemplating suicide quite often, manipulative, emotionally, verbally and physically abusive. his words and actions hurt, yet somehow he turns it around on me and makes me feel guilty, because i am a sinner also, and not perfect. i get blamed for everything, there are few light moments in my husband's life. i love to serve God with all my heart and do not want to separate. i have prayed for so many years to unite us as husband and wife, he won't pray with me, because i'm not good enough. i have even held 2 date your spouse events to maybe bring us closer to each other in a group setting. i know works wont get me to heaven, but i've prayerfully considered all these things mentioned. he constantly reminds me of my past mistakes, puts me down in front of our children and a week ago proclaimed i had no holy spirit. he used to be a heavy drug user way before i met him. he is a self-employed carpenter, only provider for this family and i dont know what i would do without him. i know God knows. i just dont know how much longer i can carry this burden. i dont want my children to grow up thinking our marriage is normal. i know all marriages have ups and downs, and are there to sanctify us, but this is above and beyond what i signed up for. i've been longing and praying to return to the worship ministry. my family will always come first. i would not take on such a big job, if i knew my family would suffer from it. he is keeping me from my Savior. when i read the bible with the kids and he happens to come home from work, or is home, he enters the room, sits down and listens for a few minutes and then interrupts and starts conversations. im not saying this to judge, he knows it upsets me, but its like he cant hear the word of God coming out of my mouth. he hates sunday mornings. he treats me like a child, punishing me for things that happened years ago. he has no forgiveness, no love, no joy, gentleness, self-control, kindness, etc.... there is nothing but bitterness, hatred and darkness in his heart. his God seems to be a different one than mine. i am sorry, i know this makes me look pretty good and him pretty bad, and that is not my intention. i know God loves him unconditionally. i have waited for so long for him to change and it seems to just get worse. 2 of our kids were at a rodeo bible camp last weekend. they are inexperienced riders and have only been practicing for a total of maybe 2 months. not everything went as they had practiced, and they weren't winning any events. but, they had a blast, made new friends, worshiped the Lord and learned more about Him. my husband flipped out about our oldest son being such a loser for not getting everything right and perfect and winning any events. if my son had heard this, he would have been heartbroken and damaged for the rest of his life. i told him he was crazy, as i usually not do, because i dont want to get hurt. he was chasing me around the dinner table, coming after me. when i said he was crazy and that our boy was having the time of his life and trying really hard, it's almost like a light came on and he realized how wrong he was. i later heard him praising our boy for doing a good job. he does show heart at times, but most of the time there is nothing but darkness. i so long for the light. i want my babies to grow up and know jesus. not just because they are taught to believe, but to really know Him! i can't stand this anymore. after the no holy spirit incident, something changed. i have been able to emotionally distance myself some and look at him and his behavior in a different light. my mother and father have passed away and i feel so embarassed, i don't know where to turn for help or what the right thing to do is...