What should I do with my marriage?

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MashelleC

Guest
#1
I have been married 23 years now & have never been in love with my husband. When he 1st took me as his wife, I was 21 yrs old living a dangerous life so I can say he saved by life. He would be considered the greatest husband to many women & I know he is the greatest father,provider, & husband BUT he it's not a Christian nor do he desire to be. He is a big chatter,flirter but only because I don't give him the attention he need/desire. Like they say, "if u don't give it to him/her someone will" We were married 10 years, divorced for 2 months & remarried! 2 things kept me or had me to remarry rather: Sex & finances! I also do not believe in 2 marriages: I stick with the Word of God & He says if I marry another, I am an adulterer. Currently there is no other man I desire or want to be with. Right now it's all about my spiritual growth.Out of our 6 children only 2 are his. Sex is great but I don't like him as a friend & I find him very irritating! I sleep in the other room only because his snoring get on my nerves & I don't like being around him. He is also a liar: small unnecessary lies are the ones he tell the most.I have a prayer life, have prayed years for God to give me the love my husband has for me! It's not fair to him that he is unhappy but God hasn't released me nor given the finances to allow me to depart him: I feel like a room mate & we are only together because of our 2 kids left(in the house/not grown yet like the others). I don't trust him &he says he doesn't trust me : no trust with finances either, I budget, he doesn't! He blows money! Anyone else going through this our similar?
 
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dalconn

Guest
#2
Sounds to me like the both of you need Jesus...just sayin :)


Father, we ask that this couple may come to know you in the power of the resurrection and walk in the newness of life that brings life, healing, and glory to God, In Jesus Name!!

amen
 
Last edited by a moderator:

student

Senior Member
Jul 20, 2010
1,031
154
63
#3
Continue to concentrate on your walk with the Lord. Let Him speak to you concerning what you are to do. You need strengthening in your walk prior to walking on in your marriage or, if it is what God asks, leaving. We are responsible for our relationship with the Lord. When we're strong in Him, we make visual witness to others. No words necessary sometimes. Your Joy speaks for itself. Ask Jesus into your heart and follow Him. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and won't enter unless you ask Him to. God doesn't like divorce but that's not to say He doesn't allow it or forgive it as necessary. Moses was divorced at one point. God still used him in miraculous ways as you know. Don't let that be your guide, make Jesus your guide in all concerns, then you will find peace in your decisions. -student
 

Dan_473

Senior Member
Mar 11, 2014
9,054
1,051
113
#4
I hear your pain! one thing that came to mind as I was reading your post, it sounds like you and hubby have different "money styles"... maybe separate your money? pay for common stuff, like house, each 50%... but maybe have separate bank accounts, so you don't feel like your money is wasted...

just a thought...
 

Dan_473

Senior Member
Mar 11, 2014
9,054
1,051
113
#5
also, I pray this for you

Dear God, please help my sister-in-Christ MashelleC and her husband... please bless their marriage, like Jesus talked about.
 

Dan58

Senior Member
Nov 13, 2013
1,991
338
83
#6

Why in the world would you marry someone you didn't love? Did you promise to love, honor, and cherish each other? Seems that you got married and re-married out of convenience and for security, rather than the typical marriage vows? I don't pretend to get your motivation for committing to vows you never intended to keep, but staying in a loveless marriage for sex and financial advantage is what you chose to do, and as superficial as that might be, and as unfair to your husband as it is, I think you've obligated yourself to try and make it work. Does he know you've never loved him?
 

Consumed

Senior Member
Jun 4, 2015
112
1
0
#7
So you don't want to remarry another man because "God considers it adultery" and the only reason you got married was "sex and money"...for trying to sound overly spiritual you sure tend to focus a lot on what he's doing that you don't like while down playing anything you might be doing wrong
 
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MashelleC

Guest
#8
I go to church,work,home,wifely duties & that's it! I don't treat him bad or anything cause I'm actually faking that it can work as unto the Lord. We have been married 23 yrs,I'm sure many of you replying have not touched the surface of that many years so of course there are ALOT OF things you don't or won't know! That's why I thought I made it clear "is there anyone experiencing this?" God says if any man come after me he must deny himself,take up his cross, & follow me! If I was being selfish,or live a lie with him daily then it would be ALL about me but it's not. I continue once again, to do as unto the Lord: one thing lacks/what I'm so called doing wrong:& that is ; I'm not in love with him,never have, & yes he knows it he just continue to be in denial. When I reply to posts or questions someone may ask I will 1st ask myself "what does the bible say?" And 2nd show empathy instead of being judgmental. I'm quite sure you or your spouse are in 2nd marriages for you to come at me like that. I've never said I didn't have faults, however my eyes are on heaven & that's what matter! Me & my household & yes I pray him too soon:who knows it will probably resolve the issue.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
24,696
13,384
113
#9
Mashelle... it's unfortunate that the replies come across as critical or judgmental; that is not always the case around here, but it is often enough to be sad.

That said, I was married for 17 years, and for much of that there were problems. I was willing to stick with it, though my love for my ex had drained to near-zero. I knew the Lord could sort things out. My ex chose to end the marriage instead.

If I understand you correctly, you don't love your husband, and you don't really want to divorce him. That leaves you in a rut! It also sounds like you are looking for sympathy/empathy, not necessarily advice. Well, I can offer prayer for you, that God will show you clearly what to do. I have some ideas on relevant Scripture verses, but for now I'll just pray for you and encourage you to stick around here... there really are quite a few decent folks. :)
 

Consumed

Senior Member
Jun 4, 2015
112
1
0
#10
I go to church,work,home,wifely duties & that's it! I don't treat him bad or anything cause I'm actually faking that it can work as unto the Lord. We have been married 23 yrs,I'm sure many of you replying have not touched the surface of that many years so of course there are ALOT OF things you don't or won't know! That's why I thought I made it clear "is there anyone experiencing this?" God says if any man come after me he must deny himself,take up his cross, & follow me! If I was being selfish,or live a lie with him daily then it would be ALL about me but it's not. I continue once again, to do as unto the Lord: one thing lacks/what I'm so called doing wrong:& that is ; I'm not in love with him,never have, & yes he knows it he just continue to be in denial. When I reply to posts or questions someone may ask I will 1st ask myself "what does the bible say?" And 2nd show empathy instead of being judgmental. I'm quite sure you or your spouse are in 2nd marriages for you to come at me like that. I've never said I didn't have faults, however my eyes are on heaven & that's what matter! Me & my household & yes I pray him too soon:who knows it will probably resolve the issue.
You're contradicting yourself in your own words. You start off this reply saying "I'm actually faking that it can work as unto the Lord." That in itself is living a lie. And at no point in the bible does God or Jesus tell anyone to "fake it" and they were your own words that you only married him the second time for sex and finances...Do you think that would have been ordered by God? You also state that you don't love him, at least you admit that, but you state it in a way that's no big deal. As if you're saying "all I'm doing is not loving him, but look at all he is doing". Ummmm of course he's not doing a lot for you. You admit you don't love him, and you admitted in your initial post you really weren't pulling a lot of weight in your own marriage.

Am I divorced? Yes I am. Sorry, I was the guy in a marriage spending over a year never hearing her say "I love you" to me personally and only hearing her say it to another guy. And that's all while spending all my free time watching marriage videos and reading books on marriage in order to save my marriage despite the fact that I was genuinely a victim of emotional and mental abuse.

So, I'm making observations on your marriage based on your own words, and your stating assumptions about me without knowing a single thing about me, so who's being judgmental?
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,780
2,943
113
#11
First on snoring - the simple answer is for him to get a CPAP. My husband has had one for 10 years now. It made so much of a difference to him, because he actually had sleep apnea, and was not breathing up to 60 times a night. It took me a long time to get used to the sound of the machine, and I do put a heavy pillow over my head. I will tell you there is nothing harder on a marriage than not sleeping together. (I think it was over 20 years we did not sleep together at night, because of his snoring. Plus, snorers often do not realize how bad the sound they make is, and snoring is extremely hard on the heart. Please get him to get a CPAP prescribed, and buy it, even if you both can't afford it. (Some insurance will cover it!)

Second - finances - do get separate accounts for your money, if you have a separate income. It is better to have the money together, but better to have it separate than fight all the time about money. We separated our income about 10 years into our marriage and it made a huge diffference and cut the fighting about money to almost nothing. We had a common checking account to pay the bills, and we each put in the proportion that we earned.

About 10 years ago we went to a financial seminar sponsored by his work. They told us to keep our accounts separate as far as on-line and ATM banking. But put both our names on all the accounts. That way whichever of us passes away first, the other has immediate bank access to the money. Also cars and RVs in both names. Since then, we share a lot of what we spend and we are more unified as a marriage. However, we both like to control our "own" money, so having double accounts stops a lot of fighting, even if they are in both names. There is nothing wrong with separating the money if you cannot put things together.

I remember my mother controlled my parent's money, and my mom literally would not give my Dad money even when he wanted to buy her a present. So he worked teaching summer school, opened up his own bank account and put all the money from the course into his own account. It was really silly, since they were quite rich, but my mom had her own issues, and what my dad did solved the problem.

Third - your issue of not loving him. What a very wrong thing to say. Love is NOT a feeling! Love is a committment. So you say you are a Christian and committed to Christ, yet you refused to commit yourself totally to your husband. And it does not matter if he is not saved - he will NOT be saved, unless you change your attitude and show him what a loving wife does - and that means loving and respecting her husband, because she committed to loving him before God! You seem very angry at anyone who addresses this issue. But it is the crux of all your marriage problems. I do pray you will commit to loving him, even if it means overlooking some very big deficits. None of us is perfect, but we do have to love our spouses as we committed to do. I will confess we went through some very difficult years in our marriage, with neither of us loving each other, or more importantly God, for years. But God totally restored our marriage, although I don't think there was ever a time when we didn't love each other, deep down, in spite of the outward problems and appearances.

Fourth - have you tried marriage counseling? I would go to a Christian counselor, who is there to save your marriage. And do follow through. God wants you to love your husband and enjoy your life with him. And that is not happening right now, it seems to me.

I will be praying for God to change your heart, and for your marriage to be renewed and restored!
 
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chal_qutie

Guest
#12
Pray and fast.

Do not lean on your own understanding. Clear your mind and check your heart. Let Jesus' will rule you.

Have an intimate relationship with Jesus. Talk to a pastor or a priest that you could trust. Ask Jesus to guide you.

Will include you in my prayers.
 

Dan_473

Senior Member
Mar 11, 2014
9,054
1,051
113
#13
I go to church,work,home,wifely duties & that's it! I don't treat him bad or anything cause I'm actually faking that it can work as unto the Lord. We have been married 23 yrs,I'm sure many of you replying have not touched the surface of that many years so of course there are ALOT OF things you don't or won't know! That's why I thought I made it clear "is there anyone experiencing this?" God says if any man come after me he must deny himself,take up his cross, & follow me! If I was being selfish,or live a lie with him daily then it would be ALL about me but it's not. I continue once again, to do as unto the Lord: one thing lacks/what I'm so called doing wrong:& that is ; I'm not in love with him,never have, & yes he knows it he just continue to be in denial. When I reply to posts or questions someone may ask I will 1st ask myself "what does the bible say?" And 2nd show empathy instead of being judgmental. I'm quite sure you or your spouse are in 2nd marriages for you to come at me like that. I've never said I didn't have faults, however my eyes are on heaven & that's what matter! Me & my household & yes I pray him too soon:who knows it will probably resolve the issue.
yes, I have experienced some of the stuff you talked about... so, I hear you!



*if* you want advice too, read below the line of "******" below... either way, May the Lord Bless You!









*****************************************
we used to have a sleep apnea issue too... it kind of went away on its own after a while...

but I used to start out in bed, we could cuddle like spoons, etc...

if I got awakened in the night, I'd move out to the couch... we have a very comfortable couch...

if the noises subsided, I'd head back to bed...
actually worked well, imo...

so, I guess, try creative things... a Godly marraige doesn't have to look like a traditional marraige... imo
 

Cindy12

Senior Member
Jan 5, 2015
243
11
18
#14
I have been married 23 years now & have never been in love with my husband. When he 1st took me as his wife, I was 21 yrs old living a dangerous life so I can say he saved by life. He would be considered the greatest husband to many women & I know he is the greatest father,provider, & husband BUT he it's not a Christian nor do he desire to be. He is a big chatter,flirter but only because I don't give him the attention he need/desire. Like they say, "if u don't give it to him/her someone will" We were married 10 years, divorced for 2 months & remarried! 2 things kept me or had me to remarry rather: Sex & finances! I also do not believe in 2 marriages: I stick with the Word of God & He says if I marry another, I am an adulterer. Currently there is no other man I desire or want to be with. Right now it's all about my spiritual growth.Out of our 6 children only 2 are his. Sex is great but I don't like him as a friend & I find him very irritating! I sleep in the other room only because his snoring get on my nerves & I don't like being around him. He is also a liar: small unnecessary lies are the ones he tell the most.I have a prayer life, have prayed years for God to give me the love my husband has for me! It's not fair to him that he is unhappy but God hasn't released me nor given the finances to allow me to depart him: I feel like a room mate & we are only together because of our 2 kids left(in the house/not grown yet like the others). I don't trust him &he says he doesn't trust me : no trust with finances either, I budget, he doesn't! He blows money! Anyone else going through this our similar?
I have been married 23 years as well. It's my 2nd marriage. My first lasted 9 years, my ex cheated on me and became an alcoholic. I went into my 2nd marriage with 2 children. Big, big red flag going into it with 2 children with someone who had never had children. I went to church with my children for 22 years of this marriage alone without my husband. Not that he did not believe in God, but he did not practice his Christianity. I didn't let that stop me. We had a rough, rough first 10 - 15 years. We were not working together. Yep. It was up and down all the time. I continued to pray and asked for God to change him. Guess what I found out? I needed to stop asking God to change him and I began asking God to change ME. I asked him to make me a better wife. I asked him to allow me to focus on showing my husband nothing but love and kindness. I asked him to bless our marriage and to help us. Last year, my husband came to me one day and said that he wanted to start going to church with me, but not the church I was attending. (Catholic) ... We drove around and found a good, bible based Christian non-denominational church and went one Sunday morning and have been going since. Within one month, my husband grew a passion for God, went on a mission trip to Honduras and had an experience with God speaking to him while he was there. He came home, was baptized and has been a strong, practicing Christian man since that time. Our marriage improved more than I could have ever dreamed or wished. Our love for each other has been strengthened in ways I never knew it could. Sometimes, we have to change our entire philosophy on our marriage before we see Gods hand working. Once I stopped focusing on begging and hoping for my husband to change and started changing ME and the way I approached my husband and began to show him love and caring, it changed our marriage entirely. Today, I can say that this is the best marriage ever! I would never hope or desire for it to be anything more than what it is now, and I would not have said that 5 years ago. You can work on you and focus on you and it might help your marriage. Why not give it a try? You probably have blocked out the emotions and love you once had for your husband and you can get that back again. God is powerful. Ask God to change you! Ask him to make you be a better wife and to find ways to show that to your husband every single day! One day, your husband might just wish to be the same way you are! My husband was someone who was not going to go to counseling (thought we didnt need it) - probably the same as yours. But when I trusted in God and turned it all over to him and began asking God to help me work on me and changing me, I was amazed with what he did for our marriage. Don't look for a way out - look for a way to make things better - and you can only do that by starting with you. I also read the book the Power of a Praying Wife and that helped me a lot as well. I hope some of this advice helps! I will be praying for God to help you and your husband in your marriage.
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,869
9,601
113
#15
No trust, no love, no relationship= no marriage.. :/ Just saying..
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
41,315
16,302
113
69
Tennessee
#16
I feel sorry for your neglected husband. From your post I would say that your feelings toward him have nothing to do with his not being a Christian. I'm glad that you have been praying for God to give you love for your husband. He can certainly do this but you have to accept this love and then give it to your husband.

I'm sure that he has his issues that he is dealing with also. We all do. He must be very lonely and you probably are too.

I have said a prayer for God to put love in your marriage. And a little zest too. It seems like a dry situation living in a barren emotional environment.
 
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MashelleC

Guest
#17
Wow I figured someone that experienced this would enlighten me! Thank you lady bug!!!! Best advice ever: actually God showed me today: it's me: I need to change! You came with confirmation. God is good!!!!
 
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coby

Guest
#18
I heard a testimony of a woman who married someone she didn't love for all the wrong reasons. Then she started to honor and respect him and listen to him and then the love came. You pray for him so you don't hate him. There is love. Just let God show you what you did wrong to him so you can forgive him and God can pour that Love in heart. My mom prayed for years that God would change my atheist dad who was abusive towards her. He said: You change. She started to respect him. Now he's almost saved.
 
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Kimber

Guest
#19
I so feel your pain and can relate to your loneliness. I've been married 25 years to a good friend who I love. We've made a good life. I want him to be happy. We got married when I was 18 because of a pregnancy. We made it work. I've never been with anyone other than my husband. We were friends for years before marriage. He works, he comes home, but we are very emotionally different and that difference gets bigger every year. He is a very simple man I ama deeply emotional and impassioned woman. Our home is the one everyone comes to. We have taken in other people's children for decades. It's a safe place and a refuge. But I am lonely. I've tried a million times to express my needs to him. I think he would be willing if he were capable but he is not. Now that our kids are grown (almost), it's time to begin chapter 2 of our lives. Will staying together work? Or will I have to sacrifice the emotional connection I need for 25 more years? Our sex life in non-existent, he has cheated on me, he still guards his phone like a ravaged dog with a bone. He says I haven't forgiven but that's not really true. I love him. So... Yes I do understand. And I pray you will find your answers and your path. God bless you, you are not alone.
 

blue_ladybug

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2014
70,869
9,601
113
#20
Wow I figured someone that experienced this would enlighten me! Thank you lady bug!!!! Best advice ever: actually God showed me today: it's me: I need to change! You came with confirmation. God is good!!!!

You're welcome.. :)