AFT,
You know I've been a fan of yours for a long time. You are doing a GOOD job for yourself to be a better man and better father, and I suspect you will be a better husband if that's God's will for you.
Let me encourage your heart. I'm currently a 46 year old, short, curvy little hobbit of a woman. When I got divorced I thought FOR SURE it was all over and no one would ever love me again. I mean, nothing personal but who would ever want a short, rather chubby, long-haired, laid back, silly hippie chick like me? I went into my divorce thinking I would never be loved again and that I would spend my years alone raising my kids until they went off to college. I fully expected to ... ummmm... struggle with chastity because that's part of who I am and yet I knew it was not God's will outside of marriage, and who would want me?
Nonetheless, I prayed to God and let Him know that as a human being I enjoyed being married and wanted to be a good wife. I let God know that I enjoyed sharing my life with another and asked that one day He would send someone in His time. I also prayed for my future husband, that God would be working in his life RIGHT NOW to make him the man and husband I would need in the future...and that God would be working in my life RIGHT NOW to make me the woman and wife I would need to be for him.
And praise God, joy of my heart and love of my life, He DID send my dear hubby to me! Well...we crashed into each other on accident. Anyway, you know who wants a short, kind of chubby, earthy, hippie chick? My tall, kind of soft-ish, grateful dead loving, santa of a husband, that's who! I have to admit, it took me FOR-EV-ER to believe that he really wanted ME the exact way I am, but he does. And now we've been married for forever and I still look at him and thank God for sending me this amazing blessing! I say "I am so lucky" and I know it's not "luck" it is a miracle straight from God!
Don't worry AFT. When you don't have your clown makeup on, in your heart and character where it counts, you are a keeper. It won't be long before some smart, beautiful, wise, godly woman snatches you up and spends the rest of her life reminding you how lucky you are too.
Your pal in Marriage Ministry/Divorced or Separated~
~Faithful