I'm still not sure about the "resounding gong".

Honestly its a lot easier to read something about love and how it looks when its done correctly, then to actually do it correctly.
Just think about the last time someone hurt you, really hurt you, have you forgiven them? How long will it take?
Will you forgive them at all?

Christ handled hurt this way:
Romans 5:8 (New International Version)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And this way, Luke 23:34 (New International Version)
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

The only thing I could do in all our troubles was rely on the Lord and love my husband. We got through our issues but things never got totally better. Unlike Christ I hung onto all the things that had been said and done. I said I forgave him but I never totally did. I kept a record of everything he had ever said and done and when I needed to, I would bring them back up. At some point I wanted things to get better so I got a book called "The Power of a Praying Wife". The first thing the author asked was for each reader to put away the idea that God needed to change your spouse; wow, I didn't see that coming and wasn't too awful happy about it.
I read the book and I prayed for myself and my husband, but I always saved a little bit of hurt and anger for myself; like when you hide a candy bar so no one else can find it, and they can't because they don't know the hiding places in the kitchen because they don't have a uterus. I saved a portion of that uterus having candy bar; it was my safety net in some ways. Having that pain and anger I think meant that I was entitled to live the way I choose, because I was damaged and hurt beyond recognition.
As I stated in my last blog, a lot of things happened during those first years of marriage, which really just added to our already heavy luggage rack.

Flash forward.
At some point during year 6, that's right, SIX, I decided that I was tired of living like this with David. Things would be good, then crap, then good, then really crappy. It was exhausting. I prayed and asked God why he hadn't "restored" my marriage, like everyone said he would if I asked!? There was something different this time though about me- I was ready to do whatever because I was at the bottom. Now I understood what 1 Corinthians 13 was...