Well as you all know, I have been pretty busy, so I have not had a lot of time to write chapter 4! SO...Here ya go! If you have not read chapters 1-3, you might want to do that before you read 4!! A little over 18 years ago, my husband the "DUDE" and I were having lots of problems. I know a lot of people would never tell things that happen to them because they don't want others to judge them, or they are too ashamed, but I feel like I should tell you these things. Maybe, to help you get through your hard times, or to just use what we went through as a testimony of what God can do, IF YOU will allow Him! My husband has NEVER laid a hand on me, he has never even called me a bad name, however, he did have a problem with drugs and alcohol. Like most people who have that addiction, he neglected his bills and things we, as a family needed, so he would have what he "needed". I was miserable. Being a stay at home mom of 4, the kids would get the brunt of my unhappiness. I would yell & scream at them, instead of just talking to them. I had ENOUGH. I started going to school to become a Medical Assistant, and decided that once I graduate I was going to LEAVE HIM! Time passed, things got WORSE. Around November that year, I begged him to please let me have $400 to buy the kids Christmas gifts. He promised me he would give me the money on Friday. Well...Friday came NO MONEY. My heart was broken. He finally came up with the money, and Christmas for the kids was nice. In January I allowed my kids to go to church with my niece. My brother is the pastor of the church, and my niece is a few years older than I am. She told me I should let the kids go, even if I did not want to go. Of course I could not stand my brother at the time. I felt like he was judging me, and when someone feels guilty, they usually need a scape goat! Anyway, the kids came home from church and asked if we would PLEASE go to church with them some time. We decided to go the next Sunday. My husband still says he went that day to "smooth things over". We were broke, with only $5 to our name. When they passed the offering plate he looked at me and asked if he should give the money. I shrugged and said I didn't know. In my mind, I could not believe he even considered it! He gave the $5. After church, he had so many questions. He was raised a different religion than I was, so it was new to him. I told him that the Bible speaks about giving. At that time my husband used to hang wallpaper. He got paid per roll, so it was easy for him to lie to me about how many rolls he hung so he could keep money for his drugs. He worked for someone else, and only worked if that guy had enough for him to do. He NEVER got a call of his own. Later that day our phone rang....It was a lady who found his card and needed an estimate. We could not believe someone actually called him. We went that same day to do the estimate! She already had her paper, just needed someone to hang it. The job total was $500. He started the next day. All week he worked, and at night he would come home (not normal) all we did was TALK every night. He had so many questions. It was at that time God was working! We went back to church the next Sunday. Surprisingly, the message was all over things we had talked about (in private) all week. We both went to the alter and gave our lives to GOD. From that day until this day, my husband has NEVER done another drug, or drank anything. He was delivered completely, and never even had withdraws! We do serve a mighty God! There is NOTHING on earth worth going back to that kind of life. We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams. The weeks following he picked up decorators, contractors, and home owners, and started working for HIMSELF. He has never had to work for anyone else since. I continued my nursing and worked for several years as a medical assistant. Later I started working for a direct sales company called Home Interiors. I worked my way up to becoming a Director, and life was good. Don't get me wrong, we have had trials and hard times in the past 18 years, but with God in our life we got through them all. It is by FAITH that we stand. I could never ask for a better husband. Our children are successful, and happy. My 2 girls are serving God, and I know that our sons will too. I pray for them daily, that God will open their eyes. Our youngest son never knew how we used to be, he had just turned 3 years old when we started serving God. I have FAITH that soon he will be ready to make that life changing decision for himself. My prayer is that in my work, on my face book page and through this blog, that I can make a difference in someone else's life. I want people to know that God can change every circumstance and help you through any problem you might be facing in your life. As I spoke of the things my husband did, I must say, even though I never was addicted to drugs or alcohol, I was a MESS. I used cuss words every time I opened my mouth, and I LIED all the time. I think back now, and I realize the reason I lied was because I was unhappy with the reality of my life. Since God change me, I have no reason to lie, and I sure don't use those words any more! Friends that I have met since I have been a Christian, cannot believe that I ever said such things! LOL..To GOD BE THE GLORY!!
