I had been praying for the restoration of our marriage for almost 9 months. It started with an email from my husband that read, "I'm in church and God is dealing with me. Please forgive me." I hadn't heard anything but harsh words from my husband in months and we were living on different sides of the country. I must admit I was very excited to read that email. I was praying for God to restore my marriage and bring my prodigal spouse home. Prodigal spouse? Yes, Prodigal.
I first heard about rejoiceministries.org from a nice lady working at my daughter's Christian day care center. After my husband discarded me and my daughter I was starting my life over in Virginia. I sat and talked to this perfect stranger about how me and my daughter ended up in Virginia. I told her how my once Christian husband was "back-slidden" and didn't want to be married anymore. She told me about Rejoice Ministries and how they had helped people in my position all of the time. I visited the website and found myself in tears. Their motto was "Stop Divorce God's Way." The website offered an email subscription where you receive a daily devotional. Every morning I read an email related to God restoring marriages. "God hates divorce" became my mantra. Reading the newsletters from Rejoice Ministries I began to take a look inward. I began to focus more on what I may have done to contribute to the downfall of our marriage. I began to feel more at peace about the fact that my husband had discarded me and my daughter months prior. I felt peace because, after all, he hadn't filed for divorce. Maybe he really didn't want a divorce. Maybe God was going to restore my marriage.
After 8 months In Virginia my husband was emailing me daily. He would ask me to give him a call if I wanted to talk. Of course I took the opportunity to speak lovingly to my husband. I wanted him to see that I was open to marriage restoration. One night we were talking on the phone and he offered to send me some sermons from the pastor of the church he's been attending. I was excited that my husband was talking about God again. As I listened to this Pastor's sermons I became more optimistic. Maybe God was answering my prayers! The next thing I knew my husband was inviting me to a Marriage Retreat being held in Arizona. I was reluctant. Was he really considering a marriage retreat with ME? My husband encouraged me to call the pastors wife and speak to her. He said that I could ask her all of the questions that I wanted to ask him about the retreat. I didn't call her right away.
Over the next few days me and my husband were speaking more frequently. He shared with me how he was learning about accountability at church. He said that he never really had a good male role model. My husband began to cry. He said, " I have never been accountable to anyone and that's what I've been missing my whole life." I've only seen this man cry a few times in all the years we had been together. He encouraged me to call the pastors wife again to get information about the Marriage retreat. I agreed to call her.
The pastors wife was pleasant on the phone. Once I explain to her who I was she tells me how much my husband has become such a big part of their church family. She asked me would I be attending the marriage retreat next month. I explain to her that I have been hurt in a lot of ways and discarded by my husband. I told to her that I was afraid to go there and be alone with him. I also shared that I had been praying for our marriage but I was afraid of my husband. She told me that I should come to the retreat. She encouraged me to have faith that God was answering my prayers. The pastors wife told me that the Lord was saying that I needed to forgive my husband and give him another chance. I thanked her for speaking with me and I ended the phone call. Wow! Could it be God? Was God answering my prayers to restore my marriage?
It didn't take much more convincing for me to agree to fly to Arizona for the Marriage Retreat. I was afraid of being hurt again. I was afraid that my husband wasn't being genuine but "Why would he lie?" I asked myself. Why would he involve other people and invite me to a Marriage retreat if he really didn't want to make our marriage work?
To Be Continued...
I first heard about rejoiceministries.org from a nice lady working at my daughter's Christian day care center. After my husband discarded me and my daughter I was starting my life over in Virginia. I sat and talked to this perfect stranger about how me and my daughter ended up in Virginia. I told her how my once Christian husband was "back-slidden" and didn't want to be married anymore. She told me about Rejoice Ministries and how they had helped people in my position all of the time. I visited the website and found myself in tears. Their motto was "Stop Divorce God's Way." The website offered an email subscription where you receive a daily devotional. Every morning I read an email related to God restoring marriages. "God hates divorce" became my mantra. Reading the newsletters from Rejoice Ministries I began to take a look inward. I began to focus more on what I may have done to contribute to the downfall of our marriage. I began to feel more at peace about the fact that my husband had discarded me and my daughter months prior. I felt peace because, after all, he hadn't filed for divorce. Maybe he really didn't want a divorce. Maybe God was going to restore my marriage.
After 8 months In Virginia my husband was emailing me daily. He would ask me to give him a call if I wanted to talk. Of course I took the opportunity to speak lovingly to my husband. I wanted him to see that I was open to marriage restoration. One night we were talking on the phone and he offered to send me some sermons from the pastor of the church he's been attending. I was excited that my husband was talking about God again. As I listened to this Pastor's sermons I became more optimistic. Maybe God was answering my prayers! The next thing I knew my husband was inviting me to a Marriage Retreat being held in Arizona. I was reluctant. Was he really considering a marriage retreat with ME? My husband encouraged me to call the pastors wife and speak to her. He said that I could ask her all of the questions that I wanted to ask him about the retreat. I didn't call her right away.
Over the next few days me and my husband were speaking more frequently. He shared with me how he was learning about accountability at church. He said that he never really had a good male role model. My husband began to cry. He said, " I have never been accountable to anyone and that's what I've been missing my whole life." I've only seen this man cry a few times in all the years we had been together. He encouraged me to call the pastors wife again to get information about the Marriage retreat. I agreed to call her.
The pastors wife was pleasant on the phone. Once I explain to her who I was she tells me how much my husband has become such a big part of their church family. She asked me would I be attending the marriage retreat next month. I explain to her that I have been hurt in a lot of ways and discarded by my husband. I told to her that I was afraid to go there and be alone with him. I also shared that I had been praying for our marriage but I was afraid of my husband. She told me that I should come to the retreat. She encouraged me to have faith that God was answering my prayers. The pastors wife told me that the Lord was saying that I needed to forgive my husband and give him another chance. I thanked her for speaking with me and I ended the phone call. Wow! Could it be God? Was God answering my prayers to restore my marriage?
It didn't take much more convincing for me to agree to fly to Arizona for the Marriage Retreat. I was afraid of being hurt again. I was afraid that my husband wasn't being genuine but "Why would he lie?" I asked myself. Why would he involve other people and invite me to a Marriage retreat if he really didn't want to make our marriage work?
To Be Continued...
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