Plans Much Greater than Our Dreams

Plans Much Greater than Our Dreams!

What brought you to RMI? Please use this space to briefly let our readers know what your life was like when you first found us, Emily, so our readers understand just what a miracle your restoration is.

Emily, how did your restoration actually begin?

I had a perfect marriage, or so I thought. People always said we were the “model couple.” We had a beautiful, planned and beloved two-year-old daughter, a beautiful apartment, and even an imported car. We traveled abroad often, everything we had or did was good and the best ... but we did not have something essential: God wasn’t in our lives. We were from different religions but neither of us attended church. (Though now I know religion isn’t what’s important. Our relationship with the Lord is.)

How did God change your situation Emily as you sought Him wholeheartedly?

When my husband left our home, he said simply it was because he was not happy. He had no OW. When he moved, he lived alone. I was floored when he left me; I could hardly believe it had happened to me. About a month later a friend called me to go with her to her evangelical church. I grew up Catholic, but despite having spent my life going to church on Sundays I had a superficial yet comfortable faith in

I agreed to go with her because I was in so much pain. Somehow I knew what was about to come and I went to look for God to help me. I needed God’s help to get me out of my current situation. That day, when I entered the church, I felt a unique sensation; I cried a lot and heard words of strength, words of faith. I was totally broken.

As time went on, I went looking for the Lord more and more. I went to church every week joining the worship of victory they all seemed to be shouting about. Thankfully, I left there more and more strengthened and knowledgeable of the Word of God. God knew this was important because soon after, I discovered that my husband had gone out with a girl from his work.

It was very difficult for me hearing he was moving on; the disappointment I felt was immeasurable. I felt horrible and felt I was losing more and more every day ....

What principles, from God's Word (or through our resources), Emily, did the Lord teach you during this trial?

It was in this situation that I found myself with only one way out: to seek God with all my heart and to give everything to Him. It was not easy, I confess, and something I often struggled with in the flesh. When I held back, however, from what He showed me I needed to do, ultimately, I suffered the consequences and I knew my restoration was delayed. But God is wonderful, His goodness is infinite, and the lesson I had to learn, with much difficulty, was to shut up and wait on the Lord. How difficult! But gradually I found myself being transformed once I went past seeking just God with all my heart. When I discovered my Husband, who began helping me each day to change, and I let go of my new church and joined RF my life became more than happy again, I was joyful for the first time in my life.

What were the most difficult times that God helped you through Emily?

Over time, people told me to give up, that any chance of reconciliation or restoration had passed. That was difficult to hear. The only thing that kept me steady was my faith and my trust in my HH. I spoke to Him incessantly, asking Him to increase my faith and make me a witness to what He could do. Not even the closest people in my life encouraged me anymore. I began totally isolating myself and strengthening myself in the only Truth there is—the Word of God. I begged God not to embarrass me in front of everyone who knew I was waiting on Him.

I cried at dawn one morning realizing I no longer cared for my EH, because my heart was with my HH. I cried because I knew my EH had nothing like I had. It’s then that I began to see changes in my husband, once he thought I no longer cared about him. That’s when he began to come back to me.

Emily, what was the “turning point” of your restoration?

One day I got a gift from my husband on Mother's Day, and soon after, he started calling me at night. Next, he invited us over, so I went to his house, where we were together with our daughter. On these visits he never tried anything with me, he never was affectionate in anyway. Yet it was strange because he kept talking about buying a bigger house, like he wanted to say something about us as couple, as a family, but, as he told me later, was still lacking courage.

Tell us HOW it happened Emily? Did your husband just walk in the front door? Emily, did you suspect or could you tell you were close to being restored?

Our restoration happened after about five months of living together every weekend. Then we began spending our free time together as a family, the three of us. People would make jokes saying that we had become good friends, and they even said that “I was the coolest woman” to pull this off. People said it was just my company that he wanted and enjoyed and nothing more. Sometime what they said left me very humiliated but as always, I cried to my HH in those moments because it says that those who seek Him with all their hearts will never be humiliated.

I’m thankful for it not happening quickly, because I learned to wait on the Lord and I knew God was still transforming me into a new, wise woman who was winning her battle without words. (Me! Who always talked about everything, loved to discuss relationships, always had deep discussions about everything!). Honestly it was unbelievable the changes that God made in me. I began to realize that I was nothing without Him and to thank Him for taking me out of an empty life without God, without having a Husband who I began falling more and more in love with.

One day my EH drove us to our new bigger home that we moved into about six months ago, saying he wanted us to start over, start fresh.

Would you recommend any of our resource in particular that helped you Emily?

Yes, I would. When I first read How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage a phrase from Erin turned a light on in my head, she said, “God has no other man for you and no other woman for your husband.” I clung to this especially in times of desolation or despair.

Also recommended by RMI, is reading through the Bible, making 3x5 cards and reading Psalms and Proverbs. The more I sought the Word of God, as it was taught in every book and course I took here, it’s what gave me peace, keeping me out of trouble and what renewed my mind.

I dug into the Bible every night, looking up to read all the pertinent passages that I read in Erin’s books, and rereading them often to strengthen myself in a variety of versions. This lesson was central to me. If it is written in God's Word, then it’s truth. This means, for instance, that since He hates divorce and knowing that God is Faithful, and His Word does not change, what do we have to fear?

Anyone who is living a situation like mine, with almost no one's support, must cling to the Word of God, but also must show Him we trust HIM! God is faithful, my friend! He will never embarrass you! Turn your marriage into His Hands. Don’t hold onto it. I know that sometimes it is difficult, the enemy penetrates the crack in your heart, filling it with fear and lies.

When things seem to be moving slowly or moving contrary to what you expect and the way you have prayed, don’t despair, instead—praise God! It means He is perfecting you so that you learn to give everything to Him.

All that’s happened to me, this, too, will happen to you. Maybe not today, maybe not even after a month or a year but it will happen as long as you move forward with Him—soon you will resume your marriage, so be sure you’re ready. A Wise Woman helped me and I still refer to it daily.

I have to say that it is wonderful to see God operating in your life in the perfect way. My husband and I are attending church, after I stopped attending, once he understood he was the spiritual leader of our family. We also are looking forward to our second child, a boy, a restoration baby, due in another month. We also just returned from a family trip to visit relatives who were each anxious to hear about our restoration. God is amazing! He is giving me more than I dared to ask!

Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us...”

Would you be interested in helping encourage other women Emily?

Yes

Either way Emily, what kind of encouragement would you like to leave women with, in conclusion?

Do not give up on what He has for you, no matter the difficulty of your circumstances. Today I can look back and see that God allowed this to happen in my life so that I could know my HH and seek Him as my true Husband. God is love. God's plan for your life is to restore your marriage, to honor His word and promises to us. Do not forget that and have faith, my friend, God has turned my husband's heart back to me and I can say that it is wonderful to feel transformed and to see my family rebuilt on the Rock that is the Word of God.

Today I can testify to how faithful God is to all those who doubted, telling me my miracle had passed. But that had to happen so that now so many are interested in knowing Him as I do. By my testimony I see so many family and friends are now seeking Him because they want what my God gave to me—being merciful, kind, with plans much greater than our dreams!