Weakest, Weaker.... And Three Makes Strong

So, I haven't been blogging in a looong while. I know that blogging seems like a passing craze if you aren't a fashionista or a food critique, but I took mine seriously.
As seriously as I could, anyway.
The thing is, my husband and I separated for a while. It was a mutual decision as we were mutually trying to find ourselves amongst the flurry of diapers, bottles, after school activities, lost shoes, work schedules and TV dinners.
Its amazing what happens when you settle into a marriage. I use the word settle because that's exactly what happened to me. I began to settle for the way things were instead of voicing my opinion, saying what I felt, and praying for things to change. I shifted my focus from God, who holds everything together, to my husband, who can barely hold himself together. I began to settle for the world's way of doing things.
So, as I settled, my marriage settled. My children were happy and thriving, and my husband and I began to grow apart. Falling asleep on the couch every now and then turned into not getting into my bed for days on end. Pillow talk turned into arguments over money. And arguments turned into slammed doors and ignored phone calls. I'm woman enough to admit that I did a few things wrong.
Well, maybe more than a few.
I was disrespectful when I could have been understanding. I was dismissive when I could have been submissive. I was flippant when I could have been patient. I was a lot of things when I could have been a lot of other things. There is no blame game necessary because, just as it takes two whole individuals to make a successful relationship, it also takes two partial people to make a partial relationship unsuccessful. So, my husband packed his raggedy duffel bag and left, and I sat on the couch. And sat. And sat. And sat.
I didn't cry, or scream or call my friends and moan about how my horrible husband left me all alone and what at a wretched life I led.
I sat.
I sat until I could will my legs to move, and then I stood up, turned around and prayed. Which is what I should have done in the first place.
My mistake, which I can now see, was that I unknowingly left the third cord of my knot out, and my rope broke.

Ecclesiastes 4:12
"Though one can be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord strand of three is not quickly broken." (NIV)

You see that. One (me or my husband) was a weakling. Two (us working together, but still weak) can defend themselves, but they are still weaker than they could be. And three (God, my husband and I), aren't quickly broken. We are weaker alone than we are together, and with God we are as strong as possible. So I  got back with that third cord. I asked the Lord what could be done, and the Lord put me under the microscope and showed me myself. At that moment, it wasn't about what my husband said, did or didn't do. It was all about the mess that I had made with myself because I refused to ignore that third cord.
We can't do anything without the Lord. I remember, when we got married, my father told my husband and I not to go to the judge when we had problems. Go to the altar where we got married. That is what I remember. So, after I got done sitting, I kneeled. And I'm still kneeling.
Things aren't perfect, but they're better. I'm believing God for best.
This may be part of your story. Maybe there was a happy ending with reconciliation. May there was just an ending with a divorce. But the story didn't end. There's another page, another chapter, another book.
Remember,, there's another cord, and He's stronger than you.