Proverbs 22:6, New Living translation

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

My Testimony (Part Three)

God Begins to Restore

I struggled to believe that any man would ever want me. I struggled to believe I could find someone who would love another man’s child as his own. I feared I would be alone.

But God…

I reconnected with a childhood friend, and over time we began dating. In him, I saw something different—something steady, something genuine. He loved me, and he loved Josiah as his own.

Jimmy and I were married a couple of years later. When Josiah was twelve years old, Jimmy adopted him and made him his own.

God was working all things together for my good.

We continued to walk through life’s highs and lows together, striving to keep God at the center of our marriage (Ecclesiastes 4:12). We sought to raise our children in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6).

My Wilderness Season

My wilderness season began when Josiah—my only living biological son—chose to leave home under very difficult circumstances.

He was consumed with hurt, anger, rebellion, and brokenness. He chased after everything the world had to offer, and before long, the consequences of his choices began to catch up with him.

He distanced himself from us. The separation grew deeper and wider. He became involved in drugs and alcohol, encountered legal trouble, and faced incarceration—multiple times.

He became someone I no longer recognized.

And once again… I felt like a failure.

I felt like I had failed my child. Failed to raise him to love and follow Christ.

As a mother, I wanted to fix everything. I longed for restoration. I tried everything in my own strength—but the harder I tried, the more broken I became.

I grew angry—angry with Josiah, and angry with God.

I began to question everything. Even my own relationship with God.

Bitterness took root. I withdrew from others—emotionally and physically. I stopped reading the Word. I stopped praying. I stopped going to church regularly.

I drifted deeper and deeper into the wilderness.

I became numb… just a shell of who I once was.

Please come back next week to read, “My Testimony” (Part Four)