Little Wife Flies the Coop

Big Man stood in the middle of the street with his hands on his hips, watching Little Wife drive away.  “She’s not worth it.  She’ll be back.  She has nowhere to go and she needs me.  She’ll be back in a little while, after she cools off.  She’s just not worth it, but she sure does need me,” and he walked back into his grim house, alone, mumbling to himself.

Meanwhile Little Wife was driving further and further away from his grim house, checking her rearview mirror and making important phone calls.  She felt empowered, full of energy and purpose.  She felt completely in control.  She felt like she was flying.

First she called her oldest daughter.  “Hi honey, this is Mom.  The kids and I escaped.  Can we stay with you for a couple of days until we make a plan?” 

“What?” Her daughter was incredulous and couldn’t believe the good news.  “Mom, of course!  My roommate is gone for a few days.  Yes, please stay here.   We’ll make a plan.  You’ll be safe here.  We have enough room.”

Then Little Wife called her brother.  “Hi, it’s me.  The kids and I escaped and we are free from Big Man.  Can you help us?”

“What?”  Her brother was shocked and amazed and happy.  “Of course, how much do you need?  I’m here for you always.  So glad you got away from that bully Big Man.”

Then Little Wife prayed.  “Father in heaven, you know my heart.  You know my situation.  You know what I should do next.  Please help me and help my children and keep us safe.  Show me what to do next.  I need you, Jesus.”

They arrived at Susan’s apartment about an hour later.  There were tears and hugs and laughter and much discussion about the events of the day.  Little Wife told Susan about Big Man’s endless ranting and raving, his manipulation, his gas-lighting, his constant controlling her, his emotional abuse and the passive-aggressive attempts to suffocate her.

“Mom, I’m so glad you escaped.  We’ll rest and make a plan.  You have nothing with you?  No clothes? No stuff?”

“No, we pretty much just walked out with just one important thing.  See your sister has her Teddy bear and Tim has his Bible and Bill has his Tide pods he brought home from college.” And they laughed about that because Bill was smiling sheepishly.  

“I sure didn’t want him to take that away from us,” he explained and they all laughed and laughed.  It felt so good to laugh.  

Little Wife kept her eyes on her phone, knowing that Big Man would be calling soon, asking where she was and telling her to come back home.  Sure enough, she saw his number on the screen, but she didn’t answer it.  Not just once, not just twice, but five times he called and left voicemails.  She ignored all the calls and text messages.  Little Wife went dark to Big Man.

She smiled and thanked God for the pizza Susan ordered.  They ate together happily, talking about the ways that the Lord had helped them so far.  As they curled up on the couches and on the blow-up bed, Little Wife thanked God for her family, for His provision and protection and for His plan, whatever it might be.  She knew that whatever was in their future was surely better than what they experienced these past years.  She knew that flying the coop was the BEST thing she had done in a long, long while.  And God was just getting started.

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Chaplain’s Note:  When we are at the end of our rope, when we are running from the enemy and facing the seemingly endless Sea of Impossibilities, when it seems there is no way out, when it is the darkest night of our lives, THAT is when the love of God shines brightest.  

THAT is when doors miraculously open that we didn’t even see before. 

THAT is when God shows up and shows off. 

THAT is when abuse is redeemed.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”       Proverbs 3:5-6