On Tuesday of this week, bestselling author, speaker, and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa TerKeurst, shared the heartbreaking news that her marriage of almost 25 years was ending in divorce.
In a blog post titled Rejection, Heartache, and a Faithful God, Lysa tells of finding out about her husband’s infidelity and substance abuse 18 mos. ago.
“My husband, life partner and father of my children, Art TerKeurst, has been repeatedly unfaithful to me with a woman he met online, bringing an end to our marriage of almost 25 years. For the past couple of years, his life has sadly been defined by his affection for this other woman and substance abuse. I don’t share this to harm or embarrass him, but to help explain why I have decided to separate from him and pursue a divorce. God has now revealed to me that I have done all I can do and I must release him to the Savior.”
If you have followed Lysa Terkeurst or Proverbs 31 Ministries for any length of time, you may know this: she, along with the entire ministry, have a heart for marriages, for those who have been broken by life’s struggles or hard circumstances, and for God’s healing and grace in our lives. She shares that for the past couple of years she’s been in the battle of her life, fighting for her marriage. After finding out about the infidelity, Lysa made the choice not to leave or divorce her husband, but instead to love him. She had just finished a 28 day fast and time of prayer.
“I was still committed to doing everything I could think of to make our story one of restoration, even in the face of the worst kind of betrayal imaginable. I prayed continually. I sought counsel from family and other wise friends. And Art and I even made repeated trips across the country together for intensive counseling especially designed for marriages in crisis. But sadly, though I have repeatedly forgiven and accepted him back, he has continued to abuse substances, be unfaithful, and refused to be truthful to me and our family.”
Some may wonder what this means going forward for Proverbs 31 Ministries. One thing is sure – it’s still going forward, and will continue to reach out to women, share God’s truths, and equip others to share their stories. Lysa says in the post, “Though my heart is so heavy that I’ve certainly pondered giving up, I’m determined not to let darkness win here. Therefore, after a season of rest and continued Biblical and professional counseling, I will continue to do ministry with an even deeper belief in the goodness of our God and a greater empathy for the deep heartbreak that happens to us all in this broken world.”
The Proverbs 31 Ministry, which begin in 1992 as a monthly newsletter by a few volunteers, has now grown into a thriving and multifaceted ministry which reaches hundreds of thousands of women around the world each day with the gospel and hope of Christ.
Lysa says she’s learning that her own identity is not defined by circumstances alone. “My true identity doesn’t shift or fall apart under life’s strains, failures, my own imperfections, setbacks or heartaches. While people—even God’s people—change, I’m so glad I serve a God who doesn’t.”
She ends her message with these heart-felt words and a request for prayer:
“What can you do for us? I’d simply ask you to pray. Pray for my precious children and grandchildren. Pray for me. Pray for our team at Proverbs 31. And yes, please, please pray for Art.
I love you all. Most of all, I love the Lord, who first loved me.”
Many readers and faithful followers from all around offer their strong support and prayers for Lysa, her family, and the Proverbs 31 Ministry during this difficult time. May God bring greater good through this heartache and use their story to help many others who have traveled similar paths or faced deep loss and brokenness. What the enemy intends for evil, God will use for good.
Read more by Debbie McDaniel at www.debbiemcdaniel.com, https://www.facebook.com/Debbi
Photo courtesy: Lysa TerKeurst Twitter
Publication date: June 14, 2017
