{"id":9274,"date":"2017-09-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/?p=9274"},"modified":"2017-09-26T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T00:00:00","slug":"my-husband-married-trouble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/real-stories\/parenting-real-stories\/my-husband-married-trouble\/","title":{"rendered":"My Husband Married Trouble"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

I love to tease my mother-in-law, Darlyne, about the first time my husband, John, saw me. I was the 16-year-old cutie sitting in the back row at church. He was the 20-year-old Marine on leave for the weekend and visiting his family. (John’s father was the pastor.)<\/p>\n

After church, when John asked his mother about me, Darlyne narrowed her gaze. “That’s Tricia Waddell. Stay away from her; she’s trouble.”<\/p>\n

Well, her son married “Trouble” just a couple of years later.<\/p>\n

To her credit, when John asked about me I was <\/em>trouble. I only went to church on rare occasions. I didn’t like going because being there made me feel guilty. Guilty about sleeping with my boyfriend. Guilty about drinking on the weekends. And guilty for swearing like a sailor when I wasn’t within earshot of an adult.<\/p>\n

To my credit, I was lost and looking for love in all the wrong places. “Trouble” really <\/em>got herself into trouble when she found herself pregnant at age 17.<\/p>\n

It was then that I really felt guilty, and I didn’t go to church at all. The Bible study group that my mom and grandma were a part of didn’t pay that any mind, though. They invited me to come and they reached out to me. As the pastor’s wife, Darlyne helped with my baby shower.<\/p>\n

Darlyne even came over one day to pray with me. I didn’t want her prayers–at least that’s what I told her. But she prayed anyway.<\/p>\n

It was because of the love of those women that I started thinking about God again–really thinking. And when I was six months pregnant, I dedicated my life to Him. When I accepted Jesus’ forgiveness, the guilt was gone, I went to church, and I worshiped God.<\/p>\n

I also prayed for God to bring me a godly husband someday. I didn’t know who would want to get involved with a single mom, but I dared to hope.<\/p>\n

When Cory was born, John (the pastor’s son) reached out to me as a friend. I liked him. He was sweet … and then our mothers started playing matchmaker.<\/p>\n

Yes, you’ve got that right: The same woman who told John that I was trouble was now encouraging him to ask me out. Why? She saw God’s transforming work in me, and she dared to hope, too.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward through a very lovely dating relationship, and John and I married when my son Cory was just 9 months old. (John officially adopted him a few years later.) God answered my prayer. He answered Darlyne’s, too. I imagine when she was praying for that rebellious, pregnant teen girl that God was preparing both <\/em>of our hearts for me to be part of her family.<\/p>\n

Cory is almost 24 now, and John and I have been married 23 years. How amazing is that? And to make this story even more beautiful, I’m now a mother-in-law to a beautiful young lady named Katie–someone I’ve been praying for since Cory was just a toddler. Someone I was eager to welcome into our family.<\/p>\n

There are lots of people who give mothers-in-law a bad rap, but I have a great one. Darlyne’s been open but not pushy. She’s been caring, without smothering. She gives good advice … when asked.<\/p>\n

I’m hoping to be a mother-in-law just like Darlyne. I know now what a beautiful mother-in-law\/daughter-in-law relationship looks like. And I also know how prayer makes all the difference.<\/p>\n

\n

Copyright \u00a92013 by Tricia Goyer. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A story of answered prayer and transforming grace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"A story of answered prayer and transforming 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