Attending Church Was Like Salsa Dancing
In Part 1 of this series, we learned the fact that Michele Colón invited herself to the World Mission Society Church of God after hearing that some of her co-workers were attending the Church. We also learned that it was Michele Colon who introduced her former husband to the Church, and that they both enjoyed attending the Church together.
Now in Part 2 of this series, we will learn more about the issues between Michele and her then husband, and how the Church helped them during their trials.
Michele Colón and I had serious issues that brought us to the brink of ending our relationship, so we mutually decided to speak to the Pastor of the Church of God for counseling.
During our meeting with the Pastor, he explained that if we were going to continue hurting each other, then we shouldn’t be together. But if we loved each other, as God had made the covenant of marriage, then we would be blessed if we decided to commit to loving each other and get married. That same night, after we had spoken for a couple of hours, Michele and I reconciled our differences and we decided that we would get married.
I realized that if I truly wanted to follow God, then I had to change. I decided I would marry Michele, try to be a good husband, and devote my life to my new-found Christian values. I saved enough for an engagement ring and officially proposed to Michele. Soon thereafter, Michele and I began to plan our wedding.
At the same time, we took upon the project of becoming homeowners. Michele and I bought a foreclosed house that required a lot of construction. Even though we couldn’t spend any significant time at the Church due to our wedding and our new home, the Church members would come and help us with the renovation and preparation of our new home.
Church members also helped us plan and even get everything ready for the day of our wedding. I was very thankful to God for them because it was hard trying to plan a wedding and remodel a house. The help offered by our fellow Church members helped alleviate the stress we were undergoing. Through the members’ help, I came to feel part of this big family that I never had.
As I learned more about the Bible and got to know the members of the Church better, I decided that I wanted to be more devoted to following God’s path. Michele and I started to keep more than just two services on the Sabbath and joined in more activities with the Church. I did not find it strange that we would spend more time in the Church, because to me it was no different than when I started to go to the dance studio. The more I learned, the more I wanted to dance and be around the people from the studio.
I never once felt pressured to go to church, as Michele makes it seem in her story. For me it was no different than our time with the dance group—we spent time with them at the studio and also in dance clubs. The more we enjoyed it, the more time we spent at the studio and with the dance group. The time commitment with the Church she talks about was no different than the amount of time we spent practicing dances at the studio.
However, I did notice that Michele did not seem to like it when I decided to spend more time at church or when I decided to keep one more service on the Sabbath. I felt she was trying not to show her displeasure and hide her true feelings instead.
Michele Colón blames the Church for “destroying” her marriage. But from her former husband’s viewpoint, they made the decision to get married after counseling with the Pastor. Her former husband’s decision to live a Christian life, and his devotion to this new-found faith gave him comfort in his life. All he wanted was to live a happy life with his wife in his new home while following God.
This would all change later on. Find out in Part 3 of this series.