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| {AMAZING TESTIMONY OF A RESTORED MARRIAGE} |
Something big happened last night. My husband
and I have been going through so much since he decided that he wanted our
marriage instead of another woman and a divorce. It's been a long, hard,
difficult road. We have lots of good days but there are still bad days; days
where I struggle and hurt so much. I ashamedly admit that there are times when
I have been tremendously difficult because I can't see past my own hurt, pain
and depression to see how good our marriage really is now and how dedicated my
husband is to me. The depression is dark and so hard to shake.
When my husband came back and confessed his
affair and expressed that he wanted our family back together, he was extremely
apologetic and repentant to me and there are times where he keeps apologizing
for the pain it has caused me. Like I have said before, my husband owns the
affair and the wanting the divorce as his own. He won't let me have a part in
it {although I know there are things I had contributed to his unhappiness}. He
has really been dedicated to our marriage and fighting for it to work, even
when I can't or don't want to at all.
My husband has always been expressing his
brokenness and apologies to me, but I wasn't confident that he ever confessed
it to God and repented to Him. I never pushed the issue to ask. It's not my
place. I just took to praying to God about it. I prayed that God would restore
my husband’s heart back to Him. I believed that God would do this.
Last night was a rough night. It's hard to
explain what happened but I was dealing with so much pain, hurt and fear I
could literally feel it paralyzing me. Nothing happened to bring it on; our day
was great. In fact, I started a new Bible study that morning and really
offering up praises to God for our marriage. Also, the learning about my
freedom in Christ and not having to “die to self” has consumed my thoughts,
so I did some extensive study on this as well.
Lately, I have been trying to learn, study and
memorize Philippians 4:8 which I have been trying to apply in regards to
renewing my mind about our marriage and about my husband. My nights before I
would fall asleep would go like this; "Okay God, you said to think on whatsoever
is honest, good, lovely, etc. my husband loves me and our family. He is here.
He provides for us. He tells me daily how he is going to fight for our marriage
and how he will never hurt me again. He compliments me and it is a visible
change that he is a different man....." And I would go on and on, thanking
God and dwelling on the good, usually until I fell asleep. It helps me to wake
up in a better mood also, I have noticed.
Last night, while I was doing this, the darkness
came and it consumed me. It was the worst it has ever been. I was so sad. I
cried and couldn't quit. My husband tried to help but he couldn't. Usually what
happens when sadness and hurt consume me, my husband and I will hold each other
and he will comfort me until my anxiety is gone. Last night, he didn't do that.
Instead, my husband grabbed me in a full body embrace and I started feeling his
tears roll down over my face, intertwining with my tears. Then I heard the most
beautiful sound; he was crying out to God begging for forgiveness for what he
had done and how it has affected our family. That man poured out a prayer that
I have never ever heard come from his mouth, ever. I have never heard him cry
like that, not to that degree. After he was done, he grabbed my face and said,
"Will you please, please, forgive me? I need that from you."
Right then, I thought about how Jesus said to
forgive and I thought about the conversation we had in here about being ready
to forgive, always. I knew in my heart I didn't forgive him before. I knew I
said I wanted to but I didn't really try. I was hurt and I was too focused on
that to see his hurt.
Then I thought about the topic we had in here
in on Romans and not "dying to self" and how it made me think about freedom in
Christ. That entire conversation has just consumed me. I can tell in my soul
that this is something I need to learn. I didn't feel free. I started to think
about how I didn't feel free because I was choosing to focus on his sin and on
my own problems {specifically beating myself up for not being a perfect wife
and then thinking my husband would leave me again for another woman}. Then it
dawned on me, I didn't feel free because I was choosing to focus my time on
those things instead of the eternal. I kept thinking about how I thought I
needing to constantly be dwelling on how to “die to self” instead of dwelling on
the finished work of Christ. {I think I am starting to understand now Lori, maybe}.
And then Robin, your words came to my head about how what my husband did,
in regards to the affair, was covered. Done. Forgotten. No longer remembered. I
mean all these thoughts hit me like freight train in those few minutes.
In that moment, I felt a tremendous peace
flood me. I grabbed my husband’s face and said, "I forgive you. I don't
like what you did but I know you don't either. It's going to hurt from time to
time but I choose to believe that you are no longer that man." And then I
felt the need to pray loudly over us both. I repented to God for my
unforgiveness, bitterness and sometimes revenge towards my husband and then
praised Him for bringing my husband’s heart to Him and answering my prayer. My
husband cried, I cried; I mean it was the most spiritual moment between us.
Today, my husband texted me and said he wanted
us to do a Bible study together; we haven't done that in a very, very, VERY
long time. And honestly, even if we don't, the fact he mentioned it shows me that
God is moving and working, right here in our little home.
Ladies, I write to you to tell you that I am
finally feeling free. Something I haven't felt in my walk with Christ because I
have been too focused on what I need to do to change. I know that there will be
hard and painful days, but I also know that it won't ever be like it was before. I saw
my husband cry out to the Lord like never before and I was able to turn loose
of a life that I never had control of anyway. {My husband crying out to God was
monumental as well. This is HUGE for our family right now. I've never seen
something like that from him.}
Forgiveness is a wonderful, wonderful thing. I
don't think I have ever forgiven my husband for his pornography use, his
adultery, his hurtful words and actions, for anything really. Last night. I
forgave him for it all and in the end, even though he is very, very grateful
for my forgiveness; what really happened is it freed me. 💕
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Romans 6:6
***This testimony was given by a woman in the chat room who we have been praying with and for the full restoration of her marriage. She gave me permission to share it with all of you in hopes of giving those in the same position that she was in to remember with God ALL things are possible.
Logging you in...
younggodlywomen 25p · 473 weeks ago
Amanda · 473 weeks ago
Alisha Jackson · 473 weeks ago
Thejoyfilledwife · 473 weeks ago
girlwithadragonflytattoo 36p · 473 weeks ago
Rob · 473 weeks ago
Andrea · 473 weeks ago
Mrs.M · 473 weeks ago
Lady Virtue · 473 weeks ago
I echo the chorus of those who thank you for publishing this lady's testimony, Lori, but even more so, I thank God for the reconciliation, restoration, healing and forgiveness that has occurred. How sad that so many would think of and even encourage divorce as a response. The consequences of divorce continue across subsequent generations, but so do the consequences of obeying God. Their children will be blessed by this. Praise the Lord!
Ken · 473 weeks ago
I would expect all, including myself to have such a visceral reaction and to beg for forgiveness multiple times regardless of our standing in the perfect blood of Jesus. To not do so is presumptuous and unappreciative of the work of Christ. Imagine if this husband had instead held his wife and proclaimed, "Don't cry dear. As a Believer you know all my sins are forgiven on a cross in 30 A.D. There is nothing for you or me to cry about."
That would be a travesty and just because all of our sins are forgiven from long ago does not mean that we cannot, or should not, beg for forgiveness in such grievous times. But yes, ultimately our grief leads us to thankfulness that we are indeed already forgiven before we ask.
Tell me, is it appropriate for the Believer to have ever asked Jesus to forgive their sins? Very few would argue that at least the first time we come to know Him we should do so. If we are never to ask for forgiveness, then why ask the first time. Why not just believe they are forgiven? Is it not possible that just because we know our sins were forgiven long ago we still can do the asking again and again in recognition of our sins, as even if it has no effect on our salvation, it does not fall on deaf ears. It shows us not to presume upon God's goodness, and it certainly helps make things right with those we have harmed.
girlwithadragonflytattoo 36p · 473 weeks ago
"But there remains a need for repentance and a begging for forgiveness of sins from a brother or sister or spouse we have harmed with our sins. The eternal makeup of who we are in Christ can be completely intact, yet a man like the one in this story may go out and have an affair. When such grievous sins happens, he needs to repent to his Father in heaven and to his wife, confessing his sins and begging for forgiveness. Not because it's changing his standing as a child of God, but because it helps repair his heart and the heart of his spouse, or the one he has wronged. "
Part of having godly sorrow over our sins, is realizing how our sins might have hurt another of God's children in a dramatic way, and seeking to ask forgiveness from them, sometimes even years after an event has passed. I was reading Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, and he had a passage about despair, basically saying that once we really that we've sinned so greatly, we can feel overcome with sorrow and even despair - and that's because we are human. And this concerning it being his wife and the damage to their marriage, you are completely right to say that he would have a visceral reaction. That's normal in the case of an affair, and her feelings of despair and depression are also normal. What was so beautiful and moving about it (to me) was the way they are moving beyond it! It's amazing to read.
You were right, there is nothing spiritually "wrong" with this story, I'm not sure how someone could accuse the writer (or you guys) of that without being in spiritual darkness or just ignorance sadly.