Divorce wasn’t something I thought I would ever have to deal with, but I knew that everything would be all right if I believed in God and did my best.
photo by Kristopher Roller
I hauled myself onto my bed, staring numbly at the new sheets my parents had bought for me. The bright colors ran together as my eyes brimmed with the tears that I’d kept in all day.
Divorce.
It was an ugly word that I’d never thought would be part of my vocabulary. It was never an option. And yet here I was, sitting on my new single bed in my new single room.
This wasn’t the way that life was supposed to work out. I had tried to do everything right, but instead of being blessed, I was watching my world being shredded right in front of me and it was out of my control. Then, I felt prompted to read a general conference talk. I pulled out my phone and looked up the talk “Yielding Our Hearts to God,” by Sister Neill F. Marriott.
In her address, Sister Marriott states that her family’s motto is “It will all work out.” As soon as I read that phrase, my crying stopped. God was speaking to me through this wonderful woman. She explains, “Our family motto doesn’t say, ‘It will all work out now.’ It speaks of our hope in the eternal outcome—not necessarily of present results.” The words acted like a balm, patching up some of the brokenness inside me.
I felt peace. My marriage was falling apart, but I would be okay. I had done all that I could, and God would guide me.
Today, I still don’t know exactly how things will work out in the end. I don’t understand why I had to go through this trial. I don’t have all the answers. I’m still not fully healed—I still struggle almost every day. But I know that it will all work out if I do the best I can.
Watch or read “Yielding Our Hearts to God,” by Sister Neill F. Marriott, for more insight on how to have faith during difficult times.
Source: LDS General Conference
—Jenny Rollins, Mormon Insights
feature image by denys nevozhai
Find more insights
Read the Ensign article “Hope and Healing after Divorce” to learn about the steps one woman took to find healing after her marriage ended.
For thoughts on how Christ can help us through our trials, listen to President Dallin H. Oaks’s talk “He Heals the Heavy Laden.”
I’m grateful for the vulnerability of this post. It’s clear that this is really a topic that has touched the author personally, and that really shows through.