Cheryl Scruggs was married with two kids when she started to feel numb. Numbness turned to anger. Anger led to spending more time at work, where she got a lot of attention from men, and from one man in particular.

“My thought of a perfect marriage was one of romance, of great communication, and of having a great home. I was doing my best to be the perfect wife to him and be … actually, I was being fake.”

As the affair developed, she decided to divorce her husband. Jeff remembers being so angry he couldn’t even look at Cheryl. Several months after the divorce, Cheryl heard the Gospel — a day she describes as the second saddest day of her life.

“I looked back and I saw everything I had thrown away.”

Cheryl saw the mess she’d made of her life and wondered if it could ever be put back together.

Maybe you can relate?

You’re probably very familiar with 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

It can be hard to believe that verse when it feels like we’ve torn things apart with our own hands. But God promises us new beginnings, second chances, redemption. He doesn’t promise that life will be painless — lessons are often hard won — but he promises not to leave us languishing in our messes. All we have to do is turn back to God and we’ll find that he’s right there, ready to transform us by his Spirit.

Video provided by:  I Am Second
updated September 2019

Photo Credit: Wilson Sánchez