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Question

 

Gramps,

I have been separated from my husband for a year who was excommunicated 7 months ago.  I have spent a lot of time fasting and praying as well as attending the temple to know if I should stay married to him.   The answer I consistently receive is I shouldn’t.   He is also praying about it, but is convinced he’s receiving a completely different answer that we can have a wonderful life together.   I am beginning to feel confused and not sure what to do.   How can we receive such conflicting answer?

Melanie

 

Answer

 

Melanie,

The main test of this life is to see if we will do “All things the Lord commands.”  Therefore it is vitally important that each and every one of us learn how to pray and receive answers from the Lord and then have the faith to act on it.

Now you ask why your answer and his answer do not say the same thing.  There are a few possibilities.  The first is that one of you (or perhaps even both) are allowing your personal desires to supplant the Word and Will of God in your life.  It is easy to do and accept the will of God when it is also our will.  It is much harder to do and accept the will of God when it conflicts will our own will and desires.  It can be the work of a life time to humble ourselves enough to put our will and desires aside.  If this is the case then there is no conflict, one of you is simply not listening.

Another possibility is that the Lord is testing you (and/or him).  There are times when the Lord test us to see if we will follow through on what he had taught us.  If this is the case for you then it is possible that this is the Lord testing you to see if you will follow his voice… or the voice of your estranged husband.  I know when I put it like that the answer seems very clear, but that clarity can be very hard to see when you are mist of it.

So Melanie your path is clear and it is the same as everyone’s.  You need to be sure you are hearing the Lord and then you need to follow him in faith.

 

Gramps

 

 

 

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