“God is Always on Time”

A domestic violence story with a walk of faith, resilience, and deliverance.

By G.V. ~Author’s name is protected

My journey started in 2012, when I moved from Latin America to the United States. I came with many dreams and eager to start a family and a new chapter in my life.  I got married, and in 2014 had our first son. His birth filled my heart with deep love, which in turn deepened my appreciation for my own mother. However, everything changed when my son turned one year old. My husband, an active military man, began abusing us, isolating me from my friends, my church, and the spiritual support that I so desperately needed. Sadly, the authorities didn’t help me because I was not with bruises. Verbal abuse is so hard to prove, but it leaves huge emotional scars on us. All I could do was to pray and hope that God will show me the way.

My grandmother had been my greatest spiritual influence as her prayers had always guided me. She was the only person who knew all my struggles. After her passing, I felt lost and adrift. Traveling to her funeral and attending her church was a transformative experience. The warmth of the congregation embraced me and decided to get baptized. As I stepped out of the water, I felt a profound change within me, a sign that I was ready for a change and healing, deepening this verse in me: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Not too long after my return to USA, my husband tried to choke me in front of my oldest son. My children and I left the United States again and went to my parent’s house. During this time, the pandemic happened, and I was so happy and relieved to be stuck in another country. New Christian friends were praying with us. That time away helped my boys and me to heal and was their opportunity to get to know God and spend the most wonderful time with their grandpa and see a different male figure.

I returned to the USA, and the abuse  intensified. Five months later my dad passed away. Mourning aggravated my pain and it was the hardest moment of my life as I didn’t know what to do. However, days before his passing we had a pivotal conversation in which he said: “My baby it is time!” “You must do it, but this time don’t do it with the military, go to the civil world, tell the truth, don’t be afraid.” “To win or to lose everything.”   His words were very loud and clear, and I will keep them with me until this day.

After dad’s funeral, I decided to bring my mom with me as she was going through double grief of previously losing my grandma (her mom) and now my dad.  Mom was the strength I needed to move forward. But two weeks after returning from my dad’s burial, my husband punched our oldest child and tried to send my mom to jail for defending  our son.

For me, was hard to understand God’s timing and how the system works in the United States. It took me years to prove the emotional and physical abuse that my son and I were going through. So, I prayed so hard  for two days, asking God for guidance. As a result, God put the right people in my path, including a patient policeman who saw my pain and assured me that I was not alone. After years of feeling ignored, I was finally heard and my father’s words resonating,  and God’s voice telling me that it was time to act.

 I was placed in a shelter, protected by the police until my husband was arrested five days later. It took me 21 months in court to fight this guy, after my dad passed away. The legal battle that followed for months was full of challenges, but I was in a closer and deep relationship with God and ready to defeat  my aggressor, with mom by my side.

When I was going through fire after losing my grandma, my father, with no husband, no job, no home, and with fears about the future, my mother’s unwavering faith was a beacon of hope,  constantly encouraging me to trust God and his plan for my family.  In miraculous ways, God provided me with food on my table, a job in another state, and a house to live, when I did not have financial means. God was on time!

My legal case spanned more than seven years. My husband was found guilty, but due to his military active status and being a first-time offender, he was not sentenced to prison. This might seem deeply unfair to you, but my real victory came months later when the judge awarded me full custody of my children. In that moment, I heard my father’s voice resounding: “TO WIN OR TO LOSE EVERYTHING.”  I won this battle on my knees, and the support of many, and started to see that God was on time every step of the way, through every person he used to protect us.

When we were about to move to another State and start a new life, my two children decided to get baptized.  The baptismal waters became crucial for us, symbolizing God’s presence in our lives and feeling his guidance and peace. We trust God that He will bring full circle and completion to our lives in this journey. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7.
(This mother and her children are doing well now. They live in U.S.A. She and her children are thriving in life and strong in their christian faith.)

Need Help? Call: National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
National Domestic Violence Hotline