Diane

For Diane, life before knowing Christ was always about control. “I regularly attended church, but never gave my life to Christ. I tried to control every aspect of my life and if I wasn’t in control, I often experienced anxiety attacks.”

It wasn’t until August of 2013 that the control Diane thought she had, began crumbling around her. “My husband of 4 years (together for 12 years) told me that he was not sure if he wanted to be married anymore, because he wanted to focus on his career. After spending 12 years of planning our future together, I thought I was going to die from heartbreak. I went from having a loving, happy marriage and being in control of my life to uncertainty about the future of everything.”

The time that would follow proved to be very hard for Diane. “There were days that I did not know if I was going to be able to get out of bed, let alone survive this difficult time.”

I went from having a loving, happy marriage and being in control of my life to uncertainty about the future of everything.”

As she continued to walk through heartache, she began to realize that her self-reliance would not get her through this. “God gave me the strength to take one day at a time and placed loving friends in my life to help carry me through this horrible time.”

Not too long after, Diane gave her life to Christ. “It was during this period, that I found comfort with Christ and I surrendered my life to him.” Through God placing people in Diane’s life, she saw his love pouring through them, and it allowed her to see where she was getting this unfamiliar comfort.

As she began her relationship with Christ, Diane was able to see that she didn’t need to be in control of her life, but that Christ was there to carry her burdens. “When I invited Christ into my life, I learned to place my circumstances with God and to trust him. I prayed every day for my husband and marriage and that we would survive this bump in the road. I did not understand why this was happening to me, and I still don’t. But, I know that God has a plan and that I needed to give him control of my life. By the grace of God, I was able to feel love towards and show love towards my husband, even when it was hard to during this time.”

Diane continues to follow Christ daily and trust in the hope that He provides for us. “God continues to remind me that there is hope and that he will always love and provide for me. God is at the center of my life now and will always be with me. I know that in any circumstance, good or bad, I will continue to love, trust and praise God all of my life.”