Lisa & Wes
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
"Years ago, so many it's hard to count, my marriage fell apart. If you had asked me why in the beginning, I would have most likely told you all the things my husband had done wrong. I may have rattled off affairs or his lack of willingness to work on the marriage. I could have said something about cruelty or a long list of other things. But truthfully, none of these things mattered. And they weren't the reasons my marriage fell apart. My marriage fell apart because God was not at the center of it. At first, I didn't know what I was going to do. I had bought into the world's view that divorce was okay under certain circumstances. I was determined that I wasn't going to "put up with" certain behaviors from my spouse, and forgiveness was not something I was ready to do. But God! God wasn't done with me. He was about to transform my lukewarm walk with Him into something amazing. He was going to change me, my circumstances, and my family. It wasn't going to happen overnight, but it was going to happen. I remember it like it was yesterday. I sat on my bed, asking God to give me permission to divorce my husband. What I found was far from that. God clearly told me that divorce was not the answer. That day was the beginning of a nine-year stand. The next nine years were filled with angry words, hurt, other women, and false starts. There were days I stood strong and days that I lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. Through it all, God was transforming me into a new person: the person He wanted me to be and the person my husband needed me to be. I learned about grace and forgiveness. I learned about faith and trust. And I learned about the goodness of God regardless of my circumstances. On August 2, 2021, I was served with divorce papers. It was my 50th birthday. I had had no contact with my husband in months. I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. But God said to stand firm. And I did. And four months later, November 19, 2021, my husband texted me out of nowhere. He wanted to talk. He was ready to come home, and we have been together since. It hasn't always been easy. God had a lot of work to do on both of us, but I can now see how the previous nine years prepared me for what God was about to do. He truly is amazing and can work miracles. All we have to do is believe. In Peace, not Pieces" Throughout her stand and currently, Lisa ministers to other standers through her Facebook page "Hopeful Marriages."
