Shel Eugene Cox

Not Present or Future... Shel Eugene Cox

Like many couples, Natalie and Benjamin have had their fair share of marital difficulties. But when a tempered argument results in heated accusations, both are faced with the inevitability of a nasty divorce. To compound their issues, each of them finds that they are caught in a web of guilt, shame, and bitterness. Both completely haunted by their own individual demons. As a final insult catapulted each of them to the decision to end their marriage, they both fall asleep in agony, praying for a chance to "start over." When they woke up, they find themselves where they were fifteen years earlier and learning that, for whatever reason, they broke off their engagement soon after the proposal. Considering that this was the opportunity they both asked for, Benjamin and Natalie, individually face what could have been had they not married and the immediate results of their decision to pursue life without each other. However, they each carry every memory from the life they knew and they find that starting over is not as easy as they thought it would be. Individually, and together, they come to understand that a covenant is more than just a decision entrusted to them by an almighty God that doesn't exist in "time." Natalie must learn what it means to really love and honor Benjamin. Benjamin must learn what it means to fight for Natalie and truly win her heart. Healing for both of them comes through forgiveness through the understanding that the Creator of marriage has complete and holy authority on it. Together they learn that God works through the bad even for His good and that He is always in charge...past, present, and future.