I lived with someone for 11 years

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

‘I lived with someone for 11 years. It was 2004. I was going to ask him to marry me on Valentine’s Day. He said “no”. I thought he would say “yes”. We liked each other. He was a very gentle man. After that, I knew I didn’t love him enough to stay, so I decided to leave. He got married to someone else 18 months after we split up. Finding out was hard.

‘The passage from the Bible that meant a great deal to me at that time was the story about the Samaritan woman at the well. She witnessed for Christ and people came to faith. Those verses resonated with me at the time. I’d also had quite a few relationships before, but God knew all about my history. It didn’t matter to God.  

‘I’m happy for people who are in a relationship, but for me, leaving made life less complicated. The relationship had kept me away from a relationship with God. I felt in a more honest relationship with God, that I’m enough as I am. Despite the fact that I’d had several relationships, these verses showed me that I was still a valuable person, I was still someone that God can use. 

‘Coming back to church has been wonderful. I want to get more involved in church now. Obviously, with Covid, there’s a lot that we can’t do. I’m helping with the church’s garden club. I can start the day with church, and I feel revitalised. This is how I should have been living my life a long time ago.’

Do you have a story to share? Email [email protected]