I have often gotten asked why did I stay if my ex-husband was so terrible.  The question always sends a pang of anguish through my heart, mostly because I wish I hadn’t. But looking back, the answer to that question is very complicated. Abused women stay for a number of very difficult reasons, ones that are not immediately obvious. It took a good deal of prayer and spiritual and emotional growth to get to the point where I could see clearly enough to leave. Part of the reason I write about this topic is that I get a steady stream of emails from women struggling with this very dilemma. To…