Overwhelmed With Life (Testimony)

Five years ago I walked into Mark’s office.

I had been a believer for over 29 years and married 24 years.

I knew I needed better counseling from the Word of God. I was feeling so overwhelmed and disappointed by my home circumstances. Yet I also knew God’s Word gives us everything we need for daily living.

I needed help!

For months, I had been crying myself to sleep every single night. I had been sad for months. Grief had overwhelmed me. Disappointment and death surrounded us. My husband and I felt like we were bleeding all over each other and neither of us could be the nurse.

We were overwhelmed with difficult life circumstances, personal anger, grief, resentment, and sadness watching our teenagers experience heart-wrenching trauma. Chaos seemed to abound in our home and most definitely in my mind. I felt hopeless in my situation. I could only see the train wreck coming and I wanted to run away.

Even though I was clinging to Christ, I still had questions flooding my mind. Should I leave with a teenager to relieve the stress at home? How is this stress affecting our other teens? Why do I feel distant from my husband?

I was wrestling with multiple issues and needed help to have wisdom and discernment in my life. I needed Christ’s peace in my mind.

I needed hope!

During my first session with Mark, I cried the entire 50 minutes recounting the last 4 months of recent trauma to one of our teenagers, the years of stress with home-life issues, anxiety and my sadness.

Mark listened and asked great questions. He asked about fear, how I handled my responsibility, our marriage strengths, and our biblical view of Scripture. We talked about forgiveness, trust, and godly sorrow. I was grateful to share my thoughts with someone who wasn’t so close to my circumstances.

Mark gave me wise counsel from the Scriptures. He helped me handle my own responsibilities in the midst of overwhelming trials. I left that first meeting with two copies of Mark’s marriage book, the Reconciliation Opportunity Chart, the responsibility chart, and a new sense of hope.

I still cried myself to sleep for many months, but not every night. I knew to persevere in my trials and was encouraged to grow in my relationships. My husband and I decided that I would see Mark regularly to get counsel with my circumstances. In the meantime, my husband and I also worked in the Divine Design book at home. Each week my husband and I went through page after page of practical biblical principles to strengthen our marriage. We were both encouraged with truth, wisdom and Scripture.

God had increased my faith. We had hope again!

The Lord slowly took my insecurities, my fears, and our life traumas and renewed in me a confidence in His Word. God changed my heart and mind with His love and grace. He allowed me to continue to trust Him in the midst of my reality. Eventually my husband and I met with Mark together for counseling. We would talk about what we learned in the marriage book. We both were unified in our hearts’ goal to be loving and faithful before the Lord.

Our life circumstances over the next few years continued to get even more stressful, but my heart wasn’t overwhelmed. I continued to meet Mark for a few years during this process. The train wreck that I saw coming did arrive with huge explosions, police intervention, financial struggles, legal counsel, broken relationships, and another year of unimaginable chaos. Our family was met with even more grief and pain.

Yet, through the biblical principles we received from Mark’s counsel, my husband and I were strengthened and equipped to walk through the train crash in our life with hope.

These past five years may have been difficult, but we are thankful for Hope for Life’s biblical counseling ministry. Still, to this day, my husband and I go through the marriage book weekly, are continually encouraged by the Word of God, and walk with others as they, too, receive encouragement from God’s Word and Mark’s marriage book.

 

Grateful

We are so grateful to God for allowing us to hear and share testimonies like this one, giving witness to how He is working in people’s lives here in our local community and all around the world through the life-changing truth of His Word and the ministry of Hope For Life.

As this year draws to a close, and a new one begins, we want to express our deep gratitude for each of you who continue to uphold this ministry in prayer and faithfully walk alongside us. In addition to no-cost counseling and equipping the Church locally and globally, Hope For Life gives away thousands of dollars in free materials each year. All of your support goes directly into blessing and building up the body of Christ and reaching those who do not yet know the grace and truth to be found in Jesus Christ.

If you’d like to give a year-end gift to the ministry, you can do that online here or through regular mail here.

Thank you for partnering with us in this vital ministry as we hold out His Word of Life to those in need. We praise the Lord for you!

If you’d like to share a story of how God has used Hope For Life to bless you, we’d absolutely love to hear it. You can get in touch with us here.

You can find our marriage book Divine Design: God’s Blueprint For A Thriving Marriage in both e-book and printed format at our Hope For Life Shop, along with many other biblical equipping resources.