I had the opportunity to release my seventh book, Dear Husband, on November 17th, my 40th birthday. Along with the launch of this book, I’ve been having meaningful conversations via social media concerning my story and the inspiration for my book. I’ve shared that I am in the midst of divorce from a marriage that was full of abuse and financial difficulty, but what I haven’t shared is that my husband was cheating on me with several men. He cheated on me with men I knew and men I didn’t know. He also cheated with someone I saw every Sunday at church. Learning the truth answered years of questioning why my once so passionate mate never complimented me, acted like my existence was an annoyance to him, why he could so easily be enraged and speak disrespectfully to me, why he could grab me in anger and not seem to care if he was hurting me, why he was always hiding things from me or contradicting what I knew to be the truth, and why intimacy was never a priority to him.
We had been experiencing problems and become distant for so long in our marriage that I had already relearned how to rely on God for companionship. I was mostly content in recent years due to my relationship with God, however, it doesn’t mean I never experienced deep hurt. I was also just beginning to recover from feeling completely unattractive due to my husband’s lack of interest in me. Now that I know about his hidden lifestyle, I understand why he wasn’t attracted to me. The rejection that I have felt for six years is now explained.
I’m celebrating my freedom from this abusive situation but the truth is I am also still hurting. Even as I press in deeper and deeper into God’s presence, I am very aware of the pain that still exists within me. The light of God’s presence exposes the truth of how I am really doing underneath the surface. God’s joy is my strength and I am truly thankful for the many ways the Lord has kept me, including keeping me in Divine physical health! However, the fact that I am still in a process of heart healing is very real.
No matter how painful this process is, I will not allow fear to stop me from facing the pain because I know that it is necessary to uncover the broken places and submit them to the Lord for healing. My submission to this process is crucial if I want to receive God’s best for my life, so I am committed to walking it out. I will also not allow fear of anything to stop me from sharing my process. Women have already been coming to me for help concerning the difficult situations they face in their own marriages and my heart breaks for those who have been experiencing infidelity, abuse, and other kinds of betrayal.
As I have shared before, I made a vow to God that He can use anything that has occurred in my life to help someone, which is why I will always be transparent as He leads. I shared in a recent video on social media about my own infidelity in a prior marriage. My sharing is not about vilifying or condemning anyone. I share because I realize the importance of telling my story. Revelations 12 in the bible says, “…they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” As long as my God is keeping, healing, and delivering me, I will continue to testify.
Dear Husband – A Good Wife’s Heart for Her Husband is Rachel Renee’s third Amazon Top 100 Bestseller and also rose to #2 in Hot New Releases/Marriage during its first week. This is a book of love letters that Rachel has written to her future husband, who is yet to be revealed. The letters are a witness of how God has preserved Rachel’s heart and desire to love in spite of the betrayal and abuse that she endured in her recent marriage. Dear Husband deals with important relationship topics from a position of love, respect, and submission to her husband’s authority. The book also includes affirmations and exercises that couples can commit to do with each other in order to apply the principles from the letters to their lives. Women can learn how to speak to their husband’s heart through these letters and men can learn more about the heart of the woman who loves him. Singles and couples can order Dear Husband in print for only $9.99 and on Kindle for only $2.99.in print for only $9.99 and on Kindle for only $2.99.
