Happily ever after.
What woman doesn’t long for that kind of love story?
Maybe it’s because I grew up living only ten minutes from Disneyland, but my little girl’s heart couldn’t help looking for a true Prince to show up and bring a happy ending to my story.
Thankfully, he eventually arrived…a little later than I would’ve liked (
I was twenty-six), but at least he finally found me! Because we were both older (
he was thirty-two) we had the benefit of waiting and watching other couples around us and considering the kinds of chapters we hoped to include, or not to include, in our own story.
Oh, not that our story is perfect – we’ve encountered our own challenges – but there’s no doubt we’ve been enjoying a twenty-year passion and our love affair continues… (
Our kids will attest to that!).
Okay, but what if you’ve gotten off to a bad start? What then?
Or, what if you’ve gotten off to a really bad start? Any hope there…?
YES.
In fact, can I share one of my favorite true love stories?
Some of our dearest friends (
who’d been married for 17 years) called us a few years ago to let us know they were divorcing. The husband had moved out, was involved with another woman, and had arranged things with the divorce lawyer. He was done with the marriage and, more than that, done with his wife; his only regret was the damage to their young children.
These two were definitely on the last page of their tragic story. His wife was without hope and we had little to offer her – except the saving grace of God. So we prayed fervently for a miracle.
And it happened.
The Lord miraculously intervened and gave this wife another chance to love her husband and win him over. I can’t say it was quick or that it was easy, but it did come about. Today they are enjoying a fresh and new love. My friend even recently wrote that they were together in Paris and it was “like a second honeymoon” with him.
C’est l’amour!
Don’t you love hearing stories like that one? (Way better than anything Disney could come up with!!)
So maybe you’ve had a rough beginning to your love story? The first few chapters haven’t played out the way you would have liked? Or maybe it’s the middle chapters which haven’t been going too well. Please don’t let rocky times determine the rest of your life.
By God’s grace, you can start writing something new in your story today.
How can I say that with such confidence? Because I’ve watched Him redeem a hopeless marriage right before my very eyes and seen Him restore 17 years of hurt and bitterness. I’ve known Him to heal the heart of a wife who had suffered the worst possible kind of abuse as a young girl and transform her into a loving wife and mother. And I’ve witnessed a man and a woman holding each other weeping as she forgave him…and he forgave her.
While this is probably my very favorite tale of love and forgiveness, it’s not an isolated incident. We can testify to many other restored relationships, healed by His redeeming love.
So if you’ve messed up, gone about it all wrong, then don’t lose heart. Tomorrow is another day and He is a God of new beginnings.
His compassions fail not ; His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23-24).
(Photo courtesy of
Erica Lynn Photography)
Our Redeemer can heal hearts and restore marriage.
I began writing this post with the intention of taking it in a somewhat different direction, but then felt pressed to share this instead. Maybe it’s for your sake, or maybe you have a friend (like I did) who needs a word of hope. If so, I offer this encouragement, as well as a willingness to fervently pray. Please, if you let me know of your need, I’d be glad to pray. And I wouldn’t be surprised if others who come here would willingly join in too.
By His grace, Lisa Jacobson
