Good husband and happy family? It's all up to me!
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August 06, 2007 |
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~ Deaconess Sook-hee Lee (38, Ulsan Manmin Church)
Tormented by family discord from early on in marriage
In April 1998, I married my husband Deaconess Sae-hwan Lee at a church in Jinhae, Gyeongsangnam-do. Some time after the wedding, it became commonplace for my husband not to come home as he gambled with his friends, and because he had run up a large credit card bill, he wouldn't give me his salary for the necessities at home. I was deeply concerned and pleaded with him but it was all in vain. We would often begin a day fighting and end it with fighting. Then our son Jae-joon was born and the otitis media and squint prevented him from focusing his sight. On top of that, Jae-joon also suffered from atopic dermatitis, which left him covered in abscess and clots of blood except for his hands and feet, and his skin began to look like the shell of a turtle. I despised my indifferent husband and mutual resentment and complaints towards each other led to endless quarreling.
Transformed by prayer and the Word
In June 1998, I joined Ulsan Manmin Church and thought I was now leading a life in Christ but the truth was, I was merely going to church without nurturing my faith. Then in September 2002, I was led in the heart to go and meet with Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee in Seoul. As I regularly began making trips to Seoul to meet with the Senior Pastor, I soon vowed to lead a diligent life in Christ but that did not mean my heart was going to be transformed right away. After attending the 11th and 12th "The Special Two-week Revival Meeting with Dr. Jaerock Lee" in May of 2003 and 2004, I thought I had repented of not having loved and served my husband, but hatred and ill feelings towards him did not subside as quickly. From that point on, I attended special sessions of "The Daniel Prayer Meeting" and made every effort to be transformed by goodness. I then placed all the blame on myself and clung to the Lord with an earnest desire to become a good wife. "Oh, Lord! Please forgive me. I have been evil, unable to love my husband, thinking everything in complaining and grumbling. Jae-joon is suffering because of me!"
Teeming blessings at home and workplace
As I strove to be transformed, God gave me the wisdom of goodness by which I could serve my husband from the heart and, as he was touched by my deeds, he asked for my forgiveness of his wrongdoings of the past. As much as my husband and I fathomed God's love and became transformed by it, God healed Jae-joon, who is now a healthy and a bright boy. My husband is also carrying out his God-given duties as Director of the Sunday School and the Financial Committee and Group Leader, and has become a caring husband and a doting father. The two of us even go on dates from time to time! Moreover, recommended by those who had seen my husband's faithfulness and diligence at work, he received an unprecedented promotion last January while we were also able to purchase a very good apartment at an inexpensive price. We are now hearing and becoming familiar to good news here and there!
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