Inspirational Stories

For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.  Romans 15:4

I don’t know about you but personal stories inspire and touch me. Knowing what someone has endured and triumphed through, especially if it is a similar situation I find myself in, gives me hope to press on. The Scriptures are full of stories of people’s faith through difficult times. All of chapter 11 in Hebrews is the hall of faith. Stories of those who have gone on before.

After learning about my husband’s affair and trying to decide what to do, I longed to hear others stories of success and survival. Most of what I found was not personal stories but information and tips on what to do.

Jimmy and Karen Evans have a marriage ministry called Marriage Today. One day as I was watching a YouTube video of their show, they had a couple who had gone through the devastation of infidelity and were reconciled, healed, and ministering to marriages suffering from affairs. Chris and Cindy Beall had a very unique testimony.

Cindy’s forgiveness and grace was of God. I highly recommend her book “Healing your Marriage When Trust is Broken” She shares her story in detail and the processes and decisions they had to make through the journey of healing and forgiving.

 Another beloved book I’d read years ago is “Same Kind of Different As Me” By Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I fell in love with this story and the friendship these two men had. The book tells the story of a homeless man and an art dealer who meet and eventually become close friends. Ron’s wife had a dream and desire to minister to the homeless . God used her to bless many people. After the affair, I told my husband I needed to get this book again. Something I remembered from the book had a major impact upon me even at the time and I never forgot it. So I really wanted to read it again. Before Ron and Deborah began in the homeless ministry, Ron had an affair.  Understandably Deborah was furious with Ron after 19 years of marriage!  They decided to try to work things out, but then Debra did the unexpected….

”I want to talk to her. Will you give me her phone number?”

Deborah’s resolve at that moment was like a student skydiver who, once at altitude, strides straight to the plane’s open door and leaps without pausing to bat down the butterflies. She picked up the bedroom phone and punched each number as I recited it.

“This is Deborah Hall, Ron’s wife,” she said calmly into the phone.

I tried to imagine the shocked face on the other end of the line.

“I want you to know that I don’t blame you for the affair with my husband,” Deborah went on. “I know that I’ve not been the kind of wife Ron needed, and I take responsibility for that.”

She paused listening.

Then:”I want you to know that I forgive you,” Deborah said. “I hope you find someone who will not only truly love you but honor you.”

Her grace stunned me. But not nearly so much as what she said next: “I intend to work on being the best wife Ron could ever want, and if I do my job right, you will not be hearing from my husband again.”

Deborah quietly placed the phone in its cradle, sighed with relief, and locked her eyes on mine. “ You and I are now going to rewrite the future history of our marriage.”

She wanted to spend a couple of months in counseling, she said, so we could figure out what was broken, how it got that way, and how to fix it. “If you’ll do that,” she said, “I’ll forgive you. And promise I will never bring this up, ever again.”

(Section taken from “Same Kind of Different As Me” p.68-69)

 

 

Deborah’s forgiveness and attitude about their future never left me.  To rewrite the future history of my marriage is what I want to do. Deborah Hall is one of those saints of the faith that have gone on before but the legacy and story of her life inspires us to keep running the race, to keep fighting the good fight. 

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.. Hebrews 12:1-2

PS: I am excited that in October 2017 a movie was released about the book. I cannot wait to see it and wonder if it will also contain this part of the story which was so meaningful to me.