With one last, deep breath, I pulled out my wedding dress, the symbol of all my lost hopes and dreams. I held it and felt a surge of anger mask the pain as I clipped it to a clothes hanger and hooked it on a pole hanging from my front porch. There! The garage sale was complete. As the wedding dress flowed in the breeze, my life seemed to wave to every person there, “Here! Here! Come to the divorced woman’s garage sale full of broken promises and damaged goods.”
As people streamed in, buying all my marital possessions, a car screeched into the front drive of my home. The driver’s door flew open and my friend Debbie jumped out of the car.
“Tracey Lynn Russell,” she shouted. “Stop right there!” She moved like a linebacker through a row of unsuspecting shoppers, walked past me, and without ado she grabbed the wedding dress off the hanger and dragged me inside the house with her.
“What are you doing?” she asked. I stared at her, suspecting a lecture as I replied, “I’m selling my wedding dress.” Her arms folded across her middle as a look of defiance fell over her face. “Why?”
Tears burned my eyes with the resignation of my head shaking no. “It’s over Debbie, and I don’t want the reminders, and I can’t use it anymore…”.
My dear friend continued with what seemed like a pipe dream to me. “God can save your marriage story! There might be more children, there could be another home, there may be someone who wants this dress one day—and that person could be you. I’m not letting you do this!”
With one final snatch, she grabbed the dress and took it back to the safety of my closet. Could God really save my marriage story? I breathed a strange sigh of relief and headed back to the sea of memories being sold outside.
Today, I recall that moment at my garage sale from over 24 years ago and I smile. You see, Debbie was correct—there would be more children, another home, and another time I would really want that dress. She was right to keep me from giving it away!
I didn’t know it at the time, but through the devastation of divorce, my ex-husband cried out to God. Through forgiveness and healing, we were remarried to each other. And it was Debbie who would sign my re-marriage license to my restored Christ-filled ex-husband, with whom I share the treasure of our faith and family.
My wedding dress is now safely preserved in a big box to be used one day by the beautiful little daughter we now have, the one with chocolate brown hair and blue eyes … just like her daddy. Or, it may be given to the future bride for one of our three sons!
We all need a friend who is willing to jump into action when they see us giving up on God’s power for our future. Hebrews 10:35 says, “So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.” Even in dark times, God will be faithful to write a testimony for us that is never wasted or thrown away.
Are you tempted to give up on your marriage? Then I am the friend (your Debbie) you need to remind you to keep hope alive and trust all the promises in God’s Word. In a figurative sense, I am screeching into your driveway and coming in linebacker style to remind you—God can save your marriage story too!
Hear more of Tracey Russell’s story in this 3-part interview with Dr. James Dobson:
Part 1 — Author and speaker, Tracey Russell, shares how she applied principles from Dr. James Dobson’s book, Love Must Be Tough, in order to save her failing marriage.
Part 2 — Tracey explains the difficulty of living alone after letting her husband, Mark, walk away. Hear how the Russells discovered marital reconciliation.
Part 3 — Even when marriages endure extreme hardships, reconciliation is still possible. Tracey’s husband, Mark, also joins the conversation, and shares his perspective of the turbulent ups and downs in their relationship.
