Out of Ruins: Healing After Adultery

Sometimes it seems as though adultery is everywhere, with tales of ruined marriages all too common. We almost take it for granted that an extramarital affair spells the end of a relationship. But does it have to?

Married twelve years with four young children, Laura and Glen Samuelson were leaders in their church and helped couples strengthen and repair their marriages through a biblically based program. Just weeks before they planned to celebrate Christmas in their new house, Glen confessed to a three-year relationship with another woman. Not surprisingly, the news devastated Laura and struck a terrible blow to their marriage. Yet literally from the first moments of Glen's confession, Laura invoked the Holy Spirit and felt God's hand at work, pointing them in the direction of restoration. Today, she says, the two of them are more deeply in love than ever.

Laura and Glen prove that a marriage can survive and even grow stronger after infidelity. Step by step, Laura reveals how they were able to heal and renew their relationship through prayer, hard work, forgiveness, and soul searching. Her individual journey is one of learning how to forgive, realizing and admitting her own faults, and resisting the temptation to twist the situation to her advantage. She addresses physical intimacy, what-if anything-to tell the children, deciding how much detail to ask for, how to manage when the offending spouse is unrepentant, and more. Throughout, God's guidance is present, making this an inspiring story of faith and hope.