Sana was stuck in what she called a “miserable marriage.” In her loneliness she reached out to a man she “met” in an online chatroom. She called herself “Sweetie” and he used the name “Prince of Joy.” They began opening up to each other and became online soul mates. “I was suddenly in love,” Sana says.
Finally, she made arrangements for a date with “Prince of Joy.” When Sana showed up, she was shocked to discover that her new love was … her own husband, Adnan.
If this were a Hollywood movie, Sana and Adnan would burst into tears, forgive each other, and melt in each other’s arms. But this wasn’t Hollywood. Each felt betrayed by the other’s unfaithfulness, and they are pursuing a divorce. Said Adnan, “I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years.”
What saddens me in this story is that Adnan and Sana are so typical of many married couples today who drift into isolation. They forget the qualities that first attracted them to each other, and they look elsewhere for the love they want so desperately. Sometimes that love is right in front of them, and they can’t see it. I keep thinking that if I read the story one more time, that magical Hollywood ending would magically appear.
Many of the readers commenting on the story seemed to feel the same way. Some sample e-mails:
“I think they both should try to work out their marriage situation. It seems like they have forgotten what they have for each other.”
“Whether they realize it or not, they both learned a very valuable and ironic lesson … that they are still the same people they initially fell in love with. They just, obviously, stopped communicating.”
“If this didn’t teach them they’re right for each other, then they will probably be miserable with whomever they finally do end up with.”
Here at FamilyLife, we see different endings to stories like this every week at our Weekend to Remember® marriage getaways. Many couples attend these conferences just to refresh a good marriage, while others go as a last resort in hopes of avoiding a divorce. When these couples turn their lives and their marriages over to God’s direction, they often see a transformation in their relationship that could be called miraculous.
You just have to pray that somehow Adnan and Sana can learn about God’s power to redeem a relationship that appears hopeless.
© 2007 by FamilyLife. All rights reserved.
