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How do I break up correctly?

Paidiske

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I would say that "respect" is not the same as letting (or requiring) the other person to lead. You can respect a life partner and still learn healthy sharing of leadership. Often this is a personality thing; for example, I have a personality that wants decisions made quickly. My husband takes longer to reflect and come to a position. Part of sharing leadership with him, rather than dominating, is giving him the time to formulate his own thoughts and share them with me.
 
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Strong in Him

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Okay so, I've been on here so many times trying to analyze my relationship with my bf... I'm calling it off. He's not ready to marry me, we came very close to committing "all the way" kind of sexual sin, and in general I don't respect him as I should.
Not respecting someone is a very good reason for calling time on your relationship.

But, could you learn to respect him again? Do you love him and can you see yourself being with him for, possibly, 30-40 years?
However. In the last 24 hours I've said some very mean things to him. He said he was hurt, I did a 180 and asked him not to break up (I felt dread in me when he said he was hurt, but I didn't want him to break up with me, I wanted to be the one to do it).
Sorry, but that just sounds like pride talking.
Why did you say mean things to him? Was it so that you could test how committed he was to you, or if he loved you?
It's not surprising that he would be hurt by your words, and he might have been thinking that he needed to end it with you. But then he finds you doing an immediate u turn and saying "don't break up with me". And was that because you realised in that split second that you couldn't live without him? No; you wanted to be together so that you could break up with him.

I wrote him an apology I intend to read him, because he's a person and deserves not to be sinned against (my foul words). Once I'm done reading that, I want to then politely tell him I want to break up.
To be honest, asking him not to break up with you because you know that you want to be the one to dump him, sounds like stringing him along - and I think you should apologise for that.
Two thoughts I have:
1) after I apologize, ask him what he wants to do and hope he says break up
And if he doesn't? Supposing he were to say, "I'll forgive you because I love you and want us to be together"?

Nothing that you have written tells me that you love this man, want to be together and want your relationship to grow.
So if you know what you want - i.e breaking up - just tell him.

So how would I politely word it that we should end things? He made mistakes on his part and I don't want to minimize those; I had told him I want to get married and he didn't take much initiative at all to move us along towards that. It's been a year and he should know by now if he wants to get married. I mean, I could just say that?

You say you don't want to "minimize" his mistakes - can you admit that you have made mistakes too? Could you talk about them? Even if you still decided to go your separate ways, you might get "closure" and learn from the experience.
To be honest, if you can't talk to a partner about your real feelings and what is bothering/upsetting you, you may not be ready for marriage anyway.
 
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EtainSkirata

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Not respecting someone is a very good reason for calling time on your relationship.

But, could you learn to respect him again? Do you love him and can you see yourself being with him for, possibly, 30-40 years?

Sorry, but that just sounds like pride talking.
Why did you say mean things to him? Was it so that you could test how committed he was to you, or if he loved you?
It's not surprising that he would be hurt by your words, and he might have been thinking that he needed to end it with you. But then he finds you doing an immediate u turn and saying "don't break up with me". And was that because you realised in that split second that you couldn't live without him? No; you wanted to be together so that you could break up with him.


To be honest, asking him not to break up with you because you know that you want to be the one to dump him, sounds like stringing him along - and I think you should apologise for that.

And if he doesn't? Supposing he were to say, "I'll forgive you because I love you and want us to be together"?

Nothing that you have written tells me that you love this man, want to be together and want your relationship to grow.
So if you know what you want - i.e breaking up - just tell him.



You say you don't want to "minimize" his mistakes - can you admit that you have made mistakes too? Could you talk about them? Even if you still decided to go your separate ways, you might get "closure" and learn from the experience.
To be honest, if you can't talk to a partner about your real feelings and what is bothering/upsetting you, you may not be ready for marriage anyway.
To be honest, I've been going back and forth on this all week. I've been second guessing myself, I've been crying nearly every day. I've been overcome with grief over how I caused him pain. I've been hashing it out with my mom, I've been on here trying to figure things out, I've been on my knees on prayer asking for God's help.

I wrote my boyfriend a long letter apologizing for how I spoke and acted in this relationship.

But as far as actually ending things, I keep going back and forth.

He's wonderful. When @bèlla said, "You don't see your blessing. If you understood the magnitude of someone's willingness to bear your burden when they could have another without it you'd find the respect that evades you." It hit me hard. When my mother described the traits I should look for in a man, that I want a man who will be there for me, she described my boyfriend.

But when I sent him @bèlla 's quote last night, telling him it was true and i had a long apology letter for him, he said he tries to bear burdens but he doesn't think he's so good at it sometimes, and that we can talk more about it on Saturday.

I messed up. I failed him in so many ways. I failed to give him godly respect and build him up in his faith. I failed to be calm and steady. I failed to reign in my pride and selfishness.

If we want to talk about who failed who, I failed him in so many ways, and if it were me, I'd break up with me.
 
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EtainSkirata

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But, could you learn to respect him again? Do you love him and can you see yourself being with him for, possibly, 30-40 years?
To answer that, up until Monday I was ready to marry him. I was looking for wedding dresses and rings. I had confessed to him a few weeks ago some sin issues in my life that I struggled with, so I'd have things out on the table for him. I've been trying to be patient with him and how he isn't quite ready yet to be married.

I think my lack of respect comes from not knowing how to handle differences. I think it comes from pride in thinking myself to be better. But I think it also comes from constantly second guessing him; I guess I just don't feel that his convictions on some moral and ethical issues are the same as mine, and while he may not be wrong, I guess I feel that his convictions aren't as firm as mine and so it gives me doubt. He's newer in his faith so that's probably why.

And yet I know he always tries to do the right thing. I know that his focus is on God. Maybe he slips up in some areas, but overall he's been steady and loving and caring and seeking to honor God.
 
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turkle

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However. In the last 24 hours I've said some very mean things to him. He said he was hurt, I did a 180 and asked him not to break up (I felt dread in me when he said he was hurt, but I didn't want him to break up with me, I wanted to be the one to do it). He said we need to take a break until Saturday.
This, along with many of the other things you've said about your treatment of him are very concerning. There is a book that describes this called "I Hate You - Don't Leave Me". It's about Borderline Personality Disorder, the characteristics of which you have displayed in many of your previous posts. You might want to do some research on this.

Your back and forth behavior is a strong indication that you may have this struggle, as well as your controlling him, intentionally hurting him both physically and emotionally (from older posts).

Others have asked you if you really love him, which I do not believe you have responded to. A review of 1 Cor 13 is the standard for Christ-like love. It is sacrificial and kind. Is this the love you have for him? If so, your posts do not reflect it.

One other red flag is your desire to break up with him before he breaks up with you. I recommend you look deeply inside yourself for the reason. The most likely is pride. If you approach this relationship with the humility of Christ, it will not matter one bit. What does matter is if you are capable of being a loving, long term partner to him. I suspect he is uncertain about this, which would hold him back from commitment. That is wisdom on his part.

Regardless of whether or not you both continue this relationship, I recommend that you explore your own behavior and seek counsel on how to control it. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Others that you might explore are love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness. If you are to be a good partner to another, these are necessary qualities for a successful relationship. Ask yourself, are you ready?
 
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EtainSkirata

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This, along with many of the other things you've said about your treatment of him are very concerning. There is a book that describes this called "I Hate You - Don't Leave Me". It's about Borderline Personality Disorder, the characteristics of which you have displayed in many of your previous posts. You might want to do some research on this.

Your back and forth behavior is a strong indication that you may have this struggle, as well as your controlling him, intentionally hurting him both physically and emotionally (from older posts).
Which posts? I'm thinking I have more OCD tendencies... hyper analyzing my thoughts and actions and intentions. Hence my posts; when I talked about them, I don't know if I said it clearly enough but I felt deep, gut wrenching regret within SECONDS of whatever action it was. Even actions he brushed off.

I have been crying my eyes out with the knowledge I hurt him. I have been reading about how Christian women ought to give respect. I have tried to be as kind as I can in recent texts to him. And he's been dating me for a year; he said he sees potential and he believes I'll be a good wife and mother someday.

I would say pride is DEFINITELY an issue with me. It impacts how I see him and how I talk to him.

I've written him an incredibly long apology letter, even though I know no apology will wipe out what I did.

It's true, he's hesitant. And maybe I messed up so horribly that we can't continue. I do know that this relationship isn't the end all, be all.

We're meeting tomorrow. I don't know if he is going to continue the relationship. I think I will keep my mouth shut about that until I know what he wants to do. And I've been going back and forth on whether or not to stay with him because I know he loves me, he cafes about me, and my reasons for wanting to break up aren't REALLY that serious. As far as love goes, I second guess that all the time. But I know I miss him when he's gone for even a day, and I know I feel like he makes me be the person I want to be. I know I screwed up badly, and I hate that i did that. I hate that i hurt him. Breakup or not, i hate what I did.
 
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Strong in Him

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If we want to talk about who failed who, I failed him in so many ways, and if it were me, I'd break up with me.
:hug:
No, I don't want to talk about who failed; that's your business.
It sounds as though there are faults on both sides and that neither of you is quite sure what you want. The only way to really resolve this, or get further forward, is to talk to each other - honestly.

To be honest I have some sympathy with your boyfriend's comments that you both need to work on yourselves. If you take problems, past hurts and insecurities into a marriage, it's not a good start for your new life together as husband and wife. You don't need to wait until you're both perfect -it won't happen - but starting a marriage with so much insecurity would not be good.

This might sound irrelevant, but when I was thinking of leaving teacher's training college, one of my tutors said to me, "if we told you that you HAD to leave, how would you feel?" Without even thinking I said, "relieved", and she said "there's your answer then."
How would you feel if your boyfriend said, "I want to end this relationship"?
How would you feel if he said, "I want us to be together, to work at this together and maybe, in a year or so, we'll be ready to commit ourselves to one another in marriage"?
Your reaction to those questions may tell you a lot.
 
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Strong in Him

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To answer that, up until Monday I was ready to marry him.
Ok, first of all, I'm not getting at you; I'm trying to get you to look again at words that you, yourself, have written.

In what sense were you "ready" to marry him?

1. Your first post, and indeed the title of your thread, strongly indicate that you wanted to break up with your boyfriend and were asking for advice on how to do that.
2. You don't respect him
3. You post 2 contradictory thoughts; a) apologize and hope that HE wants to break up, b) apologise, but then say that YOU want to break up.
4 You say "mean things" to him, he is hurt (understandably) and you immediately change your mind and ask him not to leave you. As an aside, you tell us that this is because you want to leave him.
5. You then ask us, again, how you should break up with him.

How is any of that showing that you are ready for marriage?
Supposing you got engaged, went to a vicar/minister for pre-marriage counselling and he said "I can't marry you before God because I don't think you're ready for this"? Supposing he even said "go away and work on yourselves"?

I've been trying to be patient with him and how he isn't quite ready yet to be married.
With respect, I'm not sure that you are.
I think my lack of respect comes from not knowing how to handle differences.
So can you pledge to love, honour and obey someone that you don't respect?
Handling differences is vital in a marriage - unless you want to be in the divorce courts by your 1st anniversary.


But I think it also comes from constantly second guessing him; I guess I just don't feel that his convictions on some moral and ethical issues are the same as mine, and while he may not be wrong, I guess I feel that his convictions aren't as firm as mine and so it gives me doubt. He's newer in his faith so that's probably why.
How important is it to you that he is as firm in his convictions as you are?
Do you love him?
And yet I know he always tries to do the right thing. I know that his focus is on God. Maybe he slips up in some areas, but overall he's been steady and loving and caring and seeking to honor God.
Many Christians love God, want to honour him, are caring and try to do the right things - it doesn't mean it's right for you to be married to them.

All the best for tomorrow.
 
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bèlla

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Have you been medically diagnosed with ocd or assume your behavior meets the criteria? There may be other issues underneath the surface that bear exploring.

I won't repeat what others said but I think it's best if you develop a friendship next time to gauge their character before dating. You'll have an opportunity to see where you land on various issues and if you're aligned in the right places without concern for hurt feelings and impropriety. If you are a courtship is possible.

Spend more time on yourself working through your imperfections with the Lord's help. In your current state the likelihood of marital success is slim. There's too much instability and emotional drama which inevitably compels the other to find relief elsewhere. Whether it's the company of friends, hobbies, or serving in church. You'll drive him away with all the chaos.

Become conversant with what's happening around you and the economy. This provides noble topics for prayer and sensitivity for other's suffering and the difficulties a prospective spouse might face. As things tighten it behooves you to learn household economy and management. Knowing how to stretch a dollar and prepare cost saving meals at home will bless him and lessen expenses.

Tune into homesteading channels on YouTube. Mary's Nest is a good one and very instructive. If you hope to have children cultivate related skills like gardening and sewing. Hard times are ahead and the more you develop self-sufficient proficiency the more attractive you'll become to possible suitors. If homeschooling appeals feel free to explore it. Classical curriculums are popular (as is Charlotte Mason) and strengthen their mind and deduction.

I encourage you to sharpen your communication and listening skills and develop temperance in the interim. You'll have less arguments and upsets if you learn to speak peaceably and don't succumb to fits and hysterics. Look for communities that emphasize traditional values. Avoid feminist rhetoric and empowerment groups. They'll exacerbate your pride and offer excuses for continuance. You need meekness not more cheerleading.

The number one topic you should focus on is prayer and reading the word. Start your day with both and develop a gratitude practice. Ann Voskamp has a nice one if you don't know where to begin. Thanking the Lord on a daily basis will help you see your blessings and be more conscionable of the same in others.

You need something to occupy your mind. Do you work, go to school, etc.? You've got too much time on your hands to ponder imaginations. Find something to do. Someone to serve. Something productive that adds to your person. Strife is the devil's domain. Study Proverbs. There's a lot of wisdom in the book and much needed advice for women.

In relation to him, this article may help. It describes the three type of men and their complements. Look for examples of each in the text. Where do you see yourself and him? Are you aligned or opposites?

The bible says (in respect to wives) "she does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life." That's our benchmark. Store it in your heart and don't forget it.

~bella
 
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Neogaia777

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At this point in my life I'm not going to ever get with anybody ever again if we can't at least function as just friends for a little while first, and see where that goes from there first, and with the only form of touching only involving maybe a friendly hug here and there or every once in a while for a little while first.

Find out if you like the same kinds of things or have some of the same things in common first, like goals, hobbies, interests, activities, and things like that first, etc, and do some of those things together as just friends at first, etc.

And make sure you can at least get along as just friends at first most definitely first, etc, otherwise I don't think it has very much hope in you two getting along in a committed relationship if you can't even get along as just friends who maybe just do things together from time to time at first, etc.

And see where it goes from there, etc.

Have rules about touching and physical contact at first, etc, and don't cross those lines until the both of you have talked about it some (or a lot) first, etc and what it means to both of you if both of you are at some point going to consider crossing those lines with one another or each other at some point first before either of you do, or ever try to first, etc.

God Bless!
 
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trophy33

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I think you are too emotional and too dramatic. Also, you seem to be changing your stance to be the opposite one quite quickly.

First, you should calm down, take your time to think things through and keep it simple and without drama. Make the life easier for both of you, not more stressful.

There is no need for you to press the things quickly to end or to marry him tomorrow. Its not an either-or choice. You can simply slow things down, take a pause... there are many options.
 
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anetazo

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Hello sister. I would text him polite brief message. That you moved on. The relationship won't work. Were not compadable. I'm not judging anyone. We're in very evil times, second Timothy chapter 3 to document. My honest opinion. Stay single. Most people are not Christian. They have no moral compass. Your setting yourself up for more pain and disappointment if you pursue men. Proverbs 8:6. Forsake the foolish, and live; And go in the way of understanding. 12:5. The thoughts of the righteous are right: But the counsels of the wicked are deciet. 12:20. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: But in the counsellars6 of peace is joy. Sister, lean on Jesus. He is the good shepherd. Merciful. Truth. Love. Father. You will never go wrong. It's your choice what path you decide. Peace.
 
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EtainSkirata

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This, along with many of the other things you've said about your treatment of him are very concerning. There is a book that describes this called "I Hate You - Don't Leave Me". It's about Borderline Personality Disorder, the characteristics of which you have displayed in many of your previous posts. You might want to do some research on this.

Your back and forth behavior is a strong indication that you may have this struggle, as well as your controlling him, intentionally hurting him both physically and emotionally (from older posts).

Others have asked you if you really love him, which I do not believe you have responded to. A review of 1 Cor 13 is the standard for Christ-like love. It is sacrificial and kind. Is this the love you have for him? If so, your posts do not reflect it.

One other red flag is your desire to break up with him before he breaks up with you. I recommend you look deeply inside yourself for the reason. The most likely is pride. If you approach this relationship with the humility of Christ, it will not matter one bit. What does matter is if you are capable of being a loving, long term partner to him. I suspect he is uncertain about this, which would hold him back from commitment. That is wisdom on his part.

Regardless of whether or not you both continue this relationship, I recommend that you explore your own behavior and seek counsel on how to control it. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Others that you might explore are love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness. If you are to be a good partner to another, these are necessary qualities for a successful relationship. Ask yourself, are you ready?
Hi, I was kind of rude to you in my reply to your post, so, I'm sorry about that. I hope you have a good rest of your day. :)
 
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