♕Today's Promise: "I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart." J247
Yolanda, how did your Restoration Journey actually begin?
My restoration journey started from the moment that my Heavenly Husband promised that He would restore my marriage. Probably even before that! But I knew from the very start that I was not going to give up. I went back to church and my pastor's wife gave me a book where a woman wrote about her restoration journey. Once I finished it, I searched the internet for similar stories and found How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage. I read that within 2 days and felt so much better! That was the beginning of my spiritual restoration and I'm so thankful to Him for showing me everything I was missing in my life. He is still showing me!
How did God change your situation, Yolanda, as you sought Him wholeheartedly?
As I sought Him more, my heart began to change quickly and my relationship with my husband, Vincent progressed slowly, but it still progressed! The biggest change was that I no longer felt lost, alone, and sad. My Heavenly Husband took care of me every step of the way! Every single second of every day. He truly is the almighty, most faithful God of the impossible! Then, other people started to notice a change in me. They commented that I looked really good even though I was going through a really tough separation.
What principles, from God's Word (or through our resources), did the Lord teach you during this trial, Yolanda?
The biggest things that the Lord taught me is to notice what I was doing wrong. For instance, I was contentious, self-righteous, controlling, and at the time of the separation, I had filled my schedule with so many things that I had neglected my whole family and Vincent. As the days wore on, God brought more to my attention that I needed to change. Some that affected my family and/or marriage and some that were simply things I was doing that were not following God's Word. Especially my tongue. I had a big, loud mouth that would say whatever my mind was thinking without a second thought. I would argue with anyone and always thought I was right. Boy, was I wrong!! Won without a word is truly a blessing and everyone should follow it! There was another woman involved and my Heavenly Husband gave me so much peace that I was able to be happy if I saw her or if Vincent mentioned her. It was crazy!
What were the most difficult times that God helped you through, Yolanda?
The hardest part for me was fighting my flesh. On days when I felt alone I really had to lean on the Lord to give me peace, strength, and endurance. I had to learn that my Heavenly Husband can give me anything and I never have to feel alone! Most days I was able to find contentment and peace through the Lord but I still struggled with my fleshly desires and fear of physically being alone.
Yolanda, what was the “turning point” of your restoration?
I'm not entirely sure what would constitute as the turning point. I feel that there were many. My Heavenly Husband helped me through countless battles within my own heart and mind. About two weeks before Vincent came home, I was really struggling at work and He spoke to me and said "Just wait. It will be over soon." Mind you, I am a major overthinker so you can imagine that any part of this journey was hard on my mind! I stayed faithful and trusting in my Heavenly Husband even though I had no idea when soon would be or what He meant by "it". I held onto Him and kept trusting! At one point, Vincent’s grandma told me that I trusted in God so much that she almost trusted it too (later she admitted that she trusted too).
Tell us HOW it happened, Yolanda? Did your husband just walk in the front door? Yolanda, did you suspect or could you tell you were close to being restored?
Exactly one month from the day Vincent decided to leave, he came home and spent two days with me. It was an amazing two days and I thought, this is it! The first night he slept on the couch but the second night he came to our bed. The next morning, he made up his side of the bed with his favorite pillow that had been in the living room for the few nights he would stay at home. Before all this, he started to change how he referred to things. Instead of saying he'll be at the house, he started to say he will be home. I notice too many little things! However, I noticed that he seemed to be arguing with the other woman and after he spent the second night home, he left again until the next day. I never texted him or asked when he would be back. He didn't reach out to me either. The next day, he texted me randomly asking what I was doing. We chatted back and forth about that and the kids, then he asked if I had plans for the afternoon. I did not and I told him as much. He said that I could hang out at home with him and the kids. I replied that I would like that and he said me too. It has now been 4 days and we have spent every day together. Yesterday, he put his wedding ring back on! Praise the Lord!!!
I did suspect only because the Lord told me it would be over soon. And I watched as He changed Vincent’s heart. During the short, two days that he spent at home before he left again, we stopped at his grandma's and he told her that he loves the woman I've become and he misses me. His grandma told me later because she had been my person to talk with about everything. In addition, I was struggling yesterday because even though God brought Vincent back home, I was afraid of what each day would bring. Would he leave again, would he backtrack? The Lord spoke to me and told me that he would not leave again. I held onto that trust! Then yesterday, Later, I was fighting my flesh because Victor still hadn't put on his wedding ring and still had a picture of him and the OW on his Facebook. Once again, the Lord spoke to me and said, "It is done." Ladies, a few hours later, he changed his profile picture on FB and put his ring back on!!! The Lord is mighty!!!
Would you recommend any of our resources in particular that helped you, Yolanda?
How God Can and Will Restore Your Marriage, A Wise Woman, the Encourager, and daily devotionals! Those all helped me a lot!!
Would you be interested in helping encourage other women, Yolanda?
Yes!
Either way, Yolanda, what kind of encouragement would you like to leave women with, in conclusion?
Ladies, never give up hope!! Put all of your trust in the Lord and listen to whatever He is telling you! There were times that all I wanted and needed to do was sit in silence with my Heavenly Husband and He would give me whatever I needed in that moment. Don't be afraid to stop everything you're doing and just listen. Or pray. The Lord wants to give you everything you desire, but you have to wait, have faith, and let Him do His best work in you and in your life!
Update:
My EH and I are coming up on 2 months since our restoration journey began. A few weeks ago, I submitted my restored marriage testimony after the Lord brought Vincent back home. His work was not and still is not done though! I felt the pull to submit either another RMT or a praise report because I feel even more restored now than when I submitted my testimony! The Lord still had a few tests for me after I submitted the testimony.
I am now here to say that praise the Lord, my marriage is better than ever and Vincent has been making strides to get closer to God! I have been praying for Him to bring Vincent a spiritual helper who can assist him through his new journey with the Lord. What I realized yesterday is that God has already answered this prayer! See, Victor’s dad has been in jail for just over a year now and was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. This man is who Victor has always looked up to so you can imagine how tough this has been. However, the Lord has worked miracles in my father in law's heart and he has been a big help to even me during these past two months! He has sent Vincent his Bible and some resources he has gotten while in jail. Victor hadn't really done anything with them until just the past few days. He is now reading through the Bible and the resources that his dad sent him. Praise the Lord!! Victor’s heart is turning back to You!! Our marriage is happy and joyful every single day thanks to you, Lord. And all my prayers are being answered in Your time. I praise You and thank You, Lord. I love You!!
*Also, we have been trying to sell our truck and Vincent made a comment yesterday that maybe God hasn't allowed us to sell it yet because He wants us to sell it for what it's worth. That hit me hard considering he doesn't just up and mention God and what He wants us do to. Praise Him! He is setting Vincent up to become our spiritual leader!
