Joy Davies, New Jersey
Bio: I am a 46-year-old wife, mother, and writer raising a blended family with my husband of three years. Together, we parent my thirteen-year-old daughter and his three children, ages eleven, fourteen, and sixteen. I recently completed writing my first manuscript, a raw and reflective memoir that documents my journey through childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, and a painful custody battle, and how God met me in those storms with healing, surrender, and salvation through Christ. I enjoy cooking, reading, and volunteering, and I feel called to deepen my involvement in my church and to eventually create a safe, faith-based support group for women who have experienced trauma and abuse.
The Smallest Seeds
I met my husband during a season when I was not walking with the Lord. It wasn’t until I was deep in a custody battle—exhausted, broken, and falling apart on my kitchen floor one night that God met me there. In that moment, I surrendered my life to Him. Since then, everything has changed. My circumstances didn’t suddenly become easy, but He changed my heart.
I was led to an incredible church, surrounded by a loving church family. He placed friends in my life —women who mentor me, pray for me, and point me back to truth when I feel weary. Most importantly, God transformed me during seasons of uncertainty, grief, and relentless strife. Where fear once ruled, faith began to take root.
My husband does not walk with the Lord. He also struggles with alcoholism and carries deep, unresolved trauma from his previous marriage—wounds that often spill into ours. Our blended family is messy, and most days feel like a battle. But the peace the Lord gives me sustains me. It allows me to face each day knowing I am never alone. When I feel overwhelmed, I know I can run to Him, and He is always near.
For over a year, I prayed over my husband every night. He believed I had lost my mind—finding faith, going to church, and becoming someone he didn’t recognize. He often told me how much I had changed. He was right—I had. But standing firm in my faith came at a cost. At times, it felt like it created distance in our marriage. Still, I remained rooted, trusting God even when it hurt.
On Christmas Eve, when we didn’t have our children, I asked my husband if he would come to church with me so I wouldn’t have to go alone. To my complete surprise, he hesitantly agreed. He was simply appeasing me, but he was going—and I was grateful.
What he didn’t know was that many members of my church knew our story and had been faithfully praying for him. When we arrived, he was warmly welcomed by my friends and their husbands. One man, in particular, shared that he had been praying for him. My pastor came over, greeted him warmly, and placed a gentle hand on his head and back, expressing how happy he was that he was there.
At first, I thought, This is it. My introverted husband will never come back. But as he quietly sat through the service, I released those thoughts and surrendered the moment to God. Afterward, I asked him what he thought. To my amazement, he said he had never felt so welcomed and that he experienced a peace he couldn’t explain. He told me he finally understood why I go to church, why I have my faith—and even said he would consider coming again.
But God.
Never would I have expected that outcome. Yet God does what we believe is impossible. He is the God of the possible.
I know a seed was planted that night. Since then, there has still been significant struggle in our marriage—especially surrounding his drinking. I’ve feared the worst, tried to control outcomes, and even threatened to leave if he didn’t get help. But God has been teaching me something deeper.
Psalm 46:10 has long been my anchor verse: “Be still.” I’ve lived by those words for over a year, especially in my marriage. But only recently did the second half of the verse fully settle in my heart: “Know that I am God.”
To me, this means: Stop attempting to control every outcome. Stop letting fear and anxiety dictate your response. Allow God to be God.
Anxiety leads nowhere. The enemy uses fear, control, and doubt to seek and destroy. But God intends good for His children. Our husbands are His children too. Instead of seeing my marriage as a catastrophe, I was led to this: What if God placed me in my husband’s life to help lead him toward salvation?
God has a purposeful plan for each of us. In the midst of strife, our calling is to lean closer to Him and trust Him to do the work only He can do.
This is not an easy path. But I’ve witnessed small, undeniable seeds being planted. My husband agreed to attend couples therapy, and the therapist I found specializes in addiction. He has finally admitted he has a problem. These are seeds—and I choose to receive each one with deep gratitude to the Most High.
In John 13:7, Jesus says, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Let that truth resonate deeply. God has a plan for each of us, even when we cannot yet see it. Keep Him close. Trust Him to plant seeds. And believe that His work is unfolding—whether or not we recognize it yet.
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