Mary's Song Spring 2014 | 页面 9

I felt severe rejection from her. Soon my mom made peace with us and I began to go to church again. I felt torn between my birth family and Christian family and my new little family and my husband. I wanted my husband to share in my affection for my family and the things of God, but he hated “those people.” He thought Christians were hypocrites and was always putting them down, along with women and fat people. In November 2008, I accidentally burned my house down by discarding our cigarettes in the trash can that was propped up outside the house. Three weeks later my husband filed for divorce, got immediate temporary custody of our four children and required me to have supervised visitations with my kids. I then became numb. Even today I am not allowed to check my kids out of school and feel like an outcast. was finished with me. I knew I needed something drastic to help me overcome my lifelong story of despair. May of 2013, I asked Pastor Karen about Mary’s Song. I am here today to testify that Jesus Christ can deliver you and I from depression and negativity. The Good News is positive and depression no longer haunts me when I wake up every morning. I wake up praising God because In 2001, he built us a beautiful Soon after this I stopped going He is worthy and I am nothing home and moved me and my to church and gave up on God. without Him. He cannot come three babies to Ponchatoula. The next year I got into another second to a husband, children, After the move the marriage got very dysfunctional relationship. I parents or even my selfishness difficult. began to drink and became a workaholic waiting tables 12-14 or the lies in my head. Every- “ For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 The Lord blessed me with the joys of motherhood and once again blessed me with a job working in a Christian school. He also gave me some genuine Christian friends. But I felt torn between my Christian faith and my submission to my husband and even though I prayed for my husband and my marriage and tried to be a godly wife and mother, I felt severely depressed and became suicidal. I sought the help of a Christian psychologist who counseled me and proceeded to medicate me. Neither his seven years of counseling nor the medication helped me. I began to neglect giving my children attention and would stay in bed all day and watch TV. thing in me must bow down to his Word. I thank Him for plucking me up out of my empty life and putting me once again into His glorious Kingdom. He’s the God of another chance. He’s the Author and Finisher of my faith, and He’s my real husband. I know He has a good plan for me But God had another salvation and will work out my shameful plan for me. At the end of 2012 past, my present and my future after constant battles with my for His glory. I leave you with children, my boyfriend moved to this: Jeremiah 29:11, “ For I Gatlinburg, Tennessee, something inside told me to start go- know the plans I have for you , ing to Victory Fellowship on Sun- declares the Lord, plans to prosday nights after I dropped my per you and not to harm you, kids off at their dad’s house. I plans to give you hope and a futhen started feeling the presture.” ● ence of God again in my life whereas before I thought Jesus hours a day. My children lost respect for me because I wouldn’t break up with my boyfriend for them. I wanted them to understand that he was a comfort to me and made me feel loved rather than feeling the constant pain of the loss of not having them with me.