I grew up as a church girl. I knew God, but if I’m honest, we didn’t really have a relationship. I went to church with my kids, but my husband never came with us, and that created tension in our marriage. A year before everything unraveled, I felt God nudging me to get more involved at church, even though I didn’t really understand why. Looking back, I can see He was preparing me for what I didn’t yet know was coming.
When my husband confessed to multiple indiscretions, something happened that surprised even me: spiritually, I felt peace. Not because the situation wasn’t painful—it was the hardest thing I’ve ever lived through—but because God whispered to my heart that He had been with me the entire time. Emotionally, I was crushed. I spent many days lying in bed, praying nonstop because I didn’t have the strength for anything else. But even in that darkness, Psalm 46:1–“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”–became my lifeline.
As I walked through the divorce, God began teaching me things about myself I never knew. I learned I’m much stronger than I believed. I learned He had been holding me long before I could feel His grip. And He softened me in ways I didn’t expect, making me more empathetic, more aware of others who are hurting, more willing to sit with someone in their pain.
My healing came slowly, through reading Scripture, copying verses by hand, and Christian counseling. I learned I was carrying PTSD and trauma anxiety. My kids also received counseling, and together we began to rebuild what had been shaken.
Today, life looks very different, and beautifully so. I spend a lot of time in the Word. I have a job I love. I’m taking biblical classes and digging deeper into Scripture than I ever imagined I would. I can honestly say I’m happy. My relationship with God is the most important part of my life now.
If someone is in the middle of a painful divorce, I would tell them: keep going. Pray. Read your Bible. Find community. Don’t isolate yourself. God has a purpose for everything, even the heartbreak. The people in Scripture walked through fire, too, and God used it to shape who they were meant to be. He will do the same for you.
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