RESTORED Marriage Testimony: “I Followed In the Footsteps Of Feminism”

♕Today's Promise: “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” P1266

☊ RMT PRAISE

Bridget, how did your Restoration Journey actually begin?

Eight years ago, I found myself without Jordan, my husband, lost and confused by everything. I have always been independent, following in the footsteps of modern women and the feminism that surrounds us. Despite being sweet and a little naive and very romantic, I have a personality that constantly needs to be tamed by my Heavenly Husband. My parents' marriage ended when I was 15, and that caused us some problems, but knowing God from a young age, it helped me to face my parents' divorce more lightly.

My marriage ended because I was the foolish, quarrelsome wife the Bible says. And I was not submissive to Jordan. I only practiced the helper part, in fact I wanted to solve it, and I solved everything for him, I didn't give the space that the husband deserves. I didn't honor him in many ways, and the main one was in our intimacy as a couple. My husband, then, saw himself compelled by sin to look for other sources, and one of them was the internet, until he got involved with someone at work, I can't say if there was adultery on his part, but the OW (other woman) he went to live with was his co-worker.

What can I say over that time: They were painful years, which I had to resort to my HH (Heavenly Husband).

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

At first, I sought various types of help in churches, ministries and pastors, I prayed a lot, until Jordan came to me a year later, when I almost had my marriage restored, today I see that it was not the right time, I needed to be polished a little more, he soon he moved away again and then he went to live with the OW and have a life with her and her daughter.

It was during this period that I met RMI (Restore Ministries International), it was here that I was saved from myself, from my afflictions and anguish. And I walked year after year, believing in the impossible. I learned to pray and fast, I learned to seek and trust HH like I never had before.

I changed a lot, I changed my thoughts to a truth of what marriage was before God, because until then I had already known this truth, but it was here at RMI that I saw it truly, through Erin, Michelle and the ministers, and the encouragements like how to be a virtuous woman.

I read every post, I watched all of Erin's videos, I bought and distributed books and cards, I read the books countless times. I resorted to all the materials available, I took the courses completely and other times I took them incomplete.

That was my source of supply for my journey.

I haven't spoken to Jordan for 2 years, I haven't heard his voice, I haven't seen his face. I totally let go of him physically, and I kept him in God, I handed him over to my HH. And I went to be the beloved bride He called me to be. We walked together for a wonderful 8 years.

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

I learned to honor the dishonorable, I didn't speak ill of Jordan, what I dishonored him at the wedding I fixed during my journey, how to leave space in the wardrobe with hangers, because he always asked to put his shirts on hangers and I didn't agree, don't go out on game days, because it was something he wouldn't do to protect me and our son, I didn't speak ill of Jordan, I didn't seek divorce or alimony, and I went through a lot of difficulties because of that, but the HH was always there to supply me double.

I learned to have a meek and quiet spirit, I didn't go after him to ask for explanations, I didn't confront the OW or any of his relatives.

I kept distance from social networks, I didn't have instagram or facebook, and I didn't add him on whasapp or skype. When I needed to talk it was only by text, that was for 5 years.

I wore my wedding ring for a certain period and then I took it off because a long time had passed I felt free to be without it, and that's when I really let it go from my heart, each case is different, today I would have continued using it, because I wasn't wearing it when he returned, I was not an example for my husband and until now I have not used it again, and this week I hope to put it on my ring finger again ;).

Beloved I applied all the principles zealously, the main principle I learned was to be a zealot, just as Erin teaches us. I was always looking to repair myself and not Jordan, I was attentive to see my mistakes, and how to change this or that situation according to the principles, I was very careful to follow the standards set out here in RMI in accordance with the word of my Beloved HH. Erin talks about this a lot in the videos.

I wasn't even half a zealot, I had countless failures on the journey. So much so that I kept walking around in my desert, and from the moment I decided to be bold and walk with a winner, things started to happen.

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

Every hour was difficult for me, accepting Jordan leaving home, seeing my son without his father, having to deal with finances. And like most I think the worst moment was seeing that Jordan was with an OW and being happy with her, dealing with that and the abandonment at the same time was too terrible. Until the end of my marriage, I hadn't felt such great pain, and I didn't know the word repudiation, that word hurts a lot. Today I understand why HH hates divorce. I didn't get to the point of divorce, God didn't allow me to go through that stage, and believe me I asked Him for that. At a certain moment when I felt strong, I prayed like this: “My dear, I am ready to go through whatever you want me to go through, I really want to enter the fire like Sadrach, Meshach and Abdenego. I don't care if it's divorce, or that my son has to live with the OW, or if she has Jordan's child. I want to pass. For I know that you will be with me!”

And after that prayer, the bonfire really grew, that was 4 years later.

Beloved, I no longer had peace around me, I had an enormous peace within me and a strength that I cannot explain, while around me the fire was lit, without even clipping my hair.

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

Things started to take a different turn in the fifth year.

First I'll count the blessings of my journey: I won a trip to the coast, I got to trade in my car. My son dressed like a prince and so did I. We travelled a lot, we ate the best of this land, we lived very well. I had a Heavenly Husband who took care of me all the time.

I became more and more beautiful to the point of attracting suitors.

My garden bloomed in an inexplicable way.

And then Jordan and I started talking more. Due to the theft of my car, he tried to help me and came to my house for the first time after leaving us.

In June my son got sick and jordan had to take him to the hospital, and HH allowed us to get closer, the three of us were together again and it was wonderful.

I was a different woman, without jealousy, without neuroses, lighter and calmer. OW called him every hour. My son was hospitalized and we alternated the nights and days of the hospitalization. There was no restoration, but an approximation. Jordan still wanted to be with OW.

But God was already working hard on my behalf.

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

Our wedding anniversary is February 14th, and I don't remember the day of February that Jordan sent me a message asking which school our son would attend, I replied that I would go see it, and he asked me if we could see it together, and I, of course, said yes. And that night he asked me to take my son to see him, at that time, I took him and when we got there he simply wanted to have lunch with us. It wasn't the restoration there either, but it was the beginning of it.

And from then on, I found out that he was no longer living with OW, he was at his mother's house, because I had prayed for God to attract him back, and take him out of OW's house, this happened during the same year, and I did not know. 

They had a fall-out, there was physical aggression and other facts that do not fit here to be detailed.

He came back to me, but not to our house permanently until the next year.

And he had a lot of doubts, staying with me, with the OW, with other OWs, in short, he did everything that the enemy could for me to give up.

I fought and pushed him away several times, I was afraid of suffering again. And HH was giving me the necessary releases, guiding me.

I fell into sin during this period, I got involved with other people, I gave up everything, because the return was harder than the journey, while I thought Jordan loved me, I was strong, when I saw that his love was cold, I gave up. And it was at that moment that HH took the reins of my life and gradually showed me that it was His will and not mine, that He has a purpose for families. And it was putting love back in the heart of Jordan.

Today my marriage has been restored, well I could only say that now, because I learned at RMI that we should only submit our Marriage Restoration Report after we were living in the same house, and that took a while to happen and I waited for a certainty, in order not to act on emotion and put God's plans at risk, not that the plans would not be fulfilled, it is that in a way God needs to work in the secret to surprise us.

Would you recommend any of our resources in particular that helped you, Bridget?

Beloved bride, it doesn't matter if you are at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of your journey. No matter when you got to know this beautiful and saving ministry, RMI, enjoy everything you have here. Read everything, listen, seek, practice, be a zealot.

Follow in Erin's footsteps, she teaches us to be sweet, kind and true to our purpose, not just to have a restored marriage, it's a purpose to be women who will impact the lives of other women, our children, our generation.

Would you be interested in helping encourage other women, Bridget?

 Yes, sure!

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

You are not alone. There is an army of women like you.

You are not the victim, you got the best part, and the spoils are yet to come.

Improve yourself to talk about what you learned or will learn here. Today I can speak to any woman who is in crisis in her marriage, I have been a counselor to several of them, my sister had her marriage restored, friends I advised are seeing things happen to the earthly husbands who left them, even those who did not listen and got their hearts hard, can see what God has done. Anyway, believe me, you who have been looking for a few months or long years, the final word for marriage is death, while your spouse lives there is hope. Keep persevering on this beautiful journey.