@Live4Him, Thanks again for sharing so much and writing out so much, and for your compassion.
I do believe our situation is a little different, if anything us kids side with the parent who is willing to work out things. That parent does very carefully not say bad things about the other- or did not do so until I picked them up myself, and put two and two together, making sense of everything that is happening. I do struggle with bitterness towards the other parent, not because of things I was told but because of the behaviour I myself observe. Our situation also has nothing to do with any unfaithfulness on either side.
So in general things are very different, there is no bad-mouthing, and instead I see for myself, but regardless, it is important to be loving and gracious, and I do have to honour both of my parents, even if it is much harder for one of them. It is just so painful that that parent would like to leave everything behind- I´m glad my siblings don´t know that. But even though it does not directly apply I´m still really glad you gave your example, because it helped me realise, even if it is one person´s fault, it will still be hard for that person seeing how we because of that have less respect and love.
Also, keep in mind, my parents are not
actually separating. One of them would want to (the one who doesn´t want to work on things) Everything is brushed under the rug so to say. There is so much bitterness and sadness and feeling unloved on every side, but in an attempt to honour God and protect us children, they stay together. Conflict between my parents is hardly ever resolved and actually, that one parent is not even willing to have a conversation about the problems. It can´t be brought up, and that parent is in denial of what that parent is doing to us. So it´s not that you could say here is a message, I can prove you are wrong, but rather it is just unloving behaviour everybody can see but that parent won´t accept that they are being that (summarising it, obviously that is very broad and understated, but I guess you get what I mean)
You are really blessing me and helping me to process this.
Well, I'm actually glad to hear of the differences, so thanks for pointing them out.
It seems to me that your pain is primarily related to the parent who "would like to leave everything behind", and I can definitely see how that could stir up feelings of bitterness because that could easily make you to think that you're of little or no worth in their eyes.
I'd like for you to consider a simple, yet powerful, truth that I've not only shared with many other people before, but that I also had to fully embrace for my own self a long time ago.
People can't give you what they don't possess themselves.
For example, one of my nieces (my oldest sister's daughter) confided with me a few years back her own hostility towards her mother in direct relation to feeling unimportant, unwanted, unloved, etc., etc. She was not only greatly saddened by what she perceived, but also bitter as a result of it.
As I was listening to her, seeing how her mother is also my sister whom I've known since long before my niece was ever born, including from the time that her mother was but a child herself, I was not only seeing things from my niece's perspective, but from a much broader perspective as well. In other words, the things that my niece was rightly desiring from her mother couldn't be given to her by her mother (my sister) because her mother, at least in her own mind, was deprived of all of those very same things as she was growing up herself. With such being the case, as I suggested in a previous reply in relation to my parents, it was "deja vu" or history repeating itself.
Try to think of it this way.
Let's say that you were down and out, and you desperately needed $1000 to help you out of your situation.
Now, let's say that you asked me for the $1000.
If I had it, and didn't give it to you, then that's one thing.
If I didn't have it, and would have gladly given it to you if I did have it, then that's another thing altogether.
Do you see the difference?
I obviously don't know either of your parents or which parent is presently causing the pain, but is it possible that that parent cannot give you what you rightly desire and deserve because, at least in their own mind, they never got it as a child themselves?
If that's the case, then that places them in category #2 (would have gladly given it to you if they had it) as opposed to category #1 (had it, but didn't want to give it to you).
It's kind of like someone is drowning a pool while ignoring somebody else that is drowning beside them.
They ignore the cries of the other because they're trying not to drown themselves.
Again, seeing how I don't personally know anything about either of your parents, I'm throwing out some general possibilities, and you would obviously know much better than I would if there's any truth to them in regard to your present situation.
I'm definitely NOT trying to make excuses for anybody because if they are in category #1 (have it, but won't give it), then they're in sin, and they need to repent.
However, if they're in category #2 (they don't have it themselves to give), then whatever bitterness there presently is towards them can be turned into compassion by the grace of God.
Again, I know that our situations have many differences, but with my own parents, especially with my father, it was more a case of he didn't have himself what I and my siblings wanted from him as we were growing up.
Anyhow, I definitely DON'T have all the answers, but I'm trying to help you to possibly consider and investigate areas that you might not have considered or investigated before.