Demetra boiled with anger when she told her husband she wanted to divorce him. He responded by telling her he would disappear from her life. He would not provide any support. They argued constantly. Demetra, a headstrong immigrant woman, housebound with two small children, wanted to begin a new life without her husband. With her oldest boy in first grade and her daughter finally out of diapers, starting fresh seemed possible. She planned to find work and somehow support herself and her two children, but her period was late. Panic filled her heart. She did not want to be pregnant.
Together the couple went to the doctor. The doctor gave her a shot, told her it was just a cold, but tested her for pregnancy. She spotted for two hours, and then stopped. What did this mean? Finally she found out that she indeed carried a child. Her husband did not want this child, nor had he wanted their other children until they arrived. Then he loved them. Although abortion was illegal in those days, he said, “If only I had $200.00, you could have an abortion.” She loved children and would never consider an abortion. She felt that her husband lived so far away from her heart.
Sorrow and heaviness filled this lonely 26 year-old woman as she lay down to sleep that night. She discovered that God never forgot her. He gave her a dream that pierced her dull heart and filled her with faith and hope. In that dream she saw an enormous brilliant cross that extended from the top of the sky to the earth. How beautiful it looked. She heard a voice say, “This is hers and she doesn’t want it.”
“I woke up and felt so sorry,” she said. She fell to her knees asking for forgiveness for not wanting her child.
God birthed new hope, faith, and submission from the dream. She determined to accept her life. She decided not to divorce her husband for the sake of her children. She held onto the belief that her children needed their father. Her focus changed as she prayed that her child would be born healthy. During this pregnancy her other children contracted measles and mumps. She prayed throughout her pregnancy that she would maintain her health for the sake of the child she carried. She continued healthy and strong throughout her pregnancy, finally delivering a healthy son, a wonderful blessing to her and her husband. This child actually became the favorite of his father. Even half a century later this son could walk into the room and still light up his old father’s eyes.
Demetra believes that marriage is give and take. “You can’t have all your way. I did the right thing. I realized the things we fought about were stupid. I got used to his companionship.” Their marriage lasted almost 58 years, until he went to be with the Lord.
When life and people stretch our endurance to the limit, God is faithful. The dream from the Lord brought Demetra insight into the condition of her heart and a revelation of the great value of the cross. Blue faith represents revelation that brings hope.
This is a true story from the book Faith Colors, Encounters with God in living faith by Lula Adams.
Here is an original poem from the book Faith Colors, Encounters With God In Living Faith.