Do you feel like you're in a battle? You feel weary, run down, and defeated. Is it hard to open your eyes in the morning to face the day? Does the thought of getting up and having to go through the motions of another day feel like more than you can bear? Is the highlight of your day when you can finally bury yourself under the blankets, or a bottle of wine, or [fill in your own blank]?

I understand that well. But, I'd like to share with you today a story of an epic battle and a hard-won victory.

For years, reading aloud was a daily habit for me. My five children and I would get cozy in the living room, the little ones would get a quiet activity like Legos or coloring—and we'd settle in for a good hour or so.

We had started The Chronicles of Narnia. If you're familiar with it, you know it is quite lengthy, filled with epic battles and hard-won victories. Little did I know that I was about to embark on my own battle, with my own victories as well. We were in book one of the series when I discovered my husband's affair.

If you're anything like me, the idea of losing myself in a fictional series that would last months sounded like a good thing to me. It was an easy escape into another world, and I could temporarily "forget" all my own pains. My children and I could run free in the hills of Narnia without a care in the world. And so, that's what we did.

Well, a short while into the series and the ongoing affair, we began the next book. One of the main characters had the same name as my husband's affair partner. Are you freaking kidding me?! Really. I'm not lying. This was supposed to be my escape from this painful new reality! And now, every time I sat down to escape, I was faced with my current reality. Man, was I pissed!!

Have you experienced this? You're just going along, dealing with your situation as best as you can. And maybe you've found a little escape. Maybe a movie, you're at church, out for lunch with a friend, and then—there it is, WHAM! THAT name. Your heart starts beating fast, your mind starts to spin. This pain has you pinned against the wall... again.

I had two choices as I saw it: stop reading this damn book where I am continually saying this name out loud (!), or abandon the book and deal with the uproar from the five kids wanting to know why on earth I was quitting the series.

Well, I love my kids and I loved the snuggles with them. I treasured this time with my children. Honestly, I liked and looked forward to this other world that was so far away from my own. And truthfully, they are great books. And so, I sucked it up. I stuck with it—to my great displeasure for quite some time. And I would read at night as well, while my husband was home, and he would hear me reading this name again and again. And believe me, he knew every time I read it I felt like a knife pierced my heart.

But...what happened is I won a major battle. I've mentioned previously that I had three little silver tiles that became a mainstay for me in my daily routine. (These were gifts of jewelry from one of my daughters. I made them into earrings: Brave – Beautiful – Warrior.) In this scenario, I chose to be a "Warrior." This story here was me going to battle. I was determined to not let the enemy gain this victory. Whether you view your enemy as the affair partner, your spouse, the devil—whatever. I won this battle. I moved forward despite the struggle, I took ground that belonged to me.

Over time, that name lost its power over me. That name no longer creates that terrible pain in my heart. I didn't allow my own pain, anger, and resentment to steal away a precious time for my children and myself. And better yet, I reclaimed something that was special to me, to our children, and even to our family... A sacred time that was special and set apart for us to be together.

What is it for you that is in jeopardy of being stolen away? I want to encourage you to face that pain, face that fear—you are bigger than that. You, also, can be a warrior. You can take back ground that is yours and reclaim it.

You may need help; I know I certainly did. I needed people who would surround me and support me, encourage me. Even strengthen me day by day. Maybe today is the day you reach out for support. If you don't have that support network already built into your life, Affair Recovery exists to help foster that community.

You can face the pain—and overcome it. Although it stands threatening to steal away your joy, your hope, you too can be a Warrior. Take the ground that is yours. Stand firm and press on.