*I’m not the only one with a redemption story that displays God’s amazing power to turn the ashes in our lives into something beautiful that was planned and created by Him. Meet David, my husband on earth. While God was working in my life, He was working in David’s too. ~April*
Divorce.
Divorce is a word that is not in my vocabulary. A word I hate. In today’s society it is brought to light everywhere and is almost promoted. It’s on tv and in the news constantly. It seems as if nearly half of everyone’s favorite celebrities, sports players and power figures have gotten divorced at least once. Divorce would never tear my family of four apart, I was sure of it. Or so I thought…
I walked through the door of our house one Friday evening just as I had done hundreds of times. This time was different. This time I was greeted with silence. My kids were gone and my wife was waiting with a lot to say to me. It was the most agonizing and painfully gut wrenching conversation I have ever had. I only needed to hear one word that would change the course of my life forever…divorce.
The days, weeks, and months following that fateful day were long and exhausting. I could not bring myself to tell anyone about my failed marriage in fear that I would be viewed as a failure for not keeping my family together. I ate nothing and locked myself in my room day after day. Severe anxiety, depression, and anger seemed to drown my life from anything positive. At the time, the only thing that could have given me happiness was getting my wife back, but that was’t happening. My downward spiral affected my kids dramatically. The constant arguing and yelling between their mother and I not only took a toll on us but took a huge toll on our kids too. My depression reached an all time low.
One night I drove out to a dark and desolate spot and parked my truck. Horrible thoughts of ending my life flooded my mind. I begged God to show me a sign that my life would be okay and that He would work a miracle somehow.
He did send me a sign….in the form of an owl that landed at that moment on the hood of my truck. It sat there staring at me as if it was going to speak to me. From that moment on I knew that God was always present and that He would restore this brokenness, somehow. I was sure that this was a clear sign that God was going to restore my marriage.
But that was my plan, not God’s.
