I was in denial about my ex-husband's addiction for years. I thought if I loved him hard enough, if I just managed things carefully, if I prayed the right prayers - he'd get better. I was treating his destructive behavior like it might just go away if I didn't look directly at it.
Peter's image of the devil like a prowling lion hit me when I was deep in that denial. You don't negotiate with a lion. You don't hope it gets hungry for something else. You don't love it into becoming docile. You see it, name it, and take it seriously.
That verse became my wake-up call. My husband's addiction wasn't a spiritual problem I could solve with faith. It was a real threat, and I needed to protect myself and my kids from it. Leaving wasn't a failure of faith - it was actually honoring what Peter was saying: be alert, be sober, be aware that some things are dangerous and require you to step back.
Ten years later, divorced and remarried to someone stable, I can see how much damage that denial did. But I'm grateful Peter gave me language for what I was experiencing and permission to take the threat seriously. Some things require action, not just prayer.
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