“You can survive this season,” said author and ministry leader Lysa TerKeurst to women facing divorce who were attending a Q&A session the night of Monday, March 3.
After answering questions about staying committed to writing, balancing ministry and family life, and being called as a woman leader, TerKeurst responded to the question, “What was your biggest fear in walking away from your marriage, and how did you overcome it?”
As she answered, TerKeurst told the crowd, “I look back on this season now, and I do see that God rescued me out of a situation that I would have never been able to leave on my own. And I’m grateful, so grateful to be where I’m at today. And with everything in me, I just sort of wanted to leave all the divorce stuff behind and just move on.”
“But because I meet so many women who are in the throes of this and there’s still a huge gap—where does a Christian woman go for help when she finds herself in this terrifying and devastating situation?” TerKeurst said. “The transferable wisdom…I just can’t leave it behind.”
“I have to help the women in the church,” said TerKeurst, clarifying that there is a difference between a “difficult” marriage and a “destructive” one. “And also I want to help equip the church to be able to know how to give wise advice to women who are in very difficult situations.”
Lysa TerKeurst: ‘You Can Survive’
Lysa TerKeurst is president and chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including “Good Boundaries and Goodbyes,” “Forgiving What You Can’t Forget,” and “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way.”
Last year, TerKeurst published “I Want to Trust You, but I Don’t: Moving Forward When You’re Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment.” She appeared on “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” in October, where she shared with Dr. Ed Stetzer and Daniel Yang what she has learned about trusting God and others after having had her trust deeply broken.
TerKeurst held a one-night event at Riverside Church in Denver on Monday, March 3, as part of her Trust Again Tour. Those who had purchased VIP tickets had the opportunity to attend a Q&A session prior to the main event at 7 p.m. The main session featured two messages from TerKeurst, as well as worship from Tasha Layton. Approximately 1,000 women attended the event, not counting a number of men who were also in the audience.
Ali Parsons, who hosts the “Neighbors” podcast, helped emcee the event and facilitated the Q&A with TerKeurst. Regarding the question about overcoming her biggest fear and walking away from her nearly 30-year marriage to her ex-husband, TerKeurst commented, “That’s a big question. Well, my journey was very, very long.”
