From an Empty House to a Life Filled with Purpose: Annette’s DivorceCare Story
Annette never wanted a broken family.
Marriage mattered deeply to her. Family mattered deeply to her. She had always hoped her children would be able to look at their parents’ marriage and see something steady, lasting, and whole.
“I did not want to have a failed marriage,” Annette said. “Family is really important to me, and I didn’t want to have a broken family.”
She had admired couples who stayed married for 25, 50, even 60 years. That was the life she wanted. That was the story she hoped her children would see.
But separation and divorce brought Annette into a reality she never wanted.
Then came the January after her divorce. Annette walked into her home and found it almost completely empty. The furniture was gone. Her children’s belongings were gone. Only the stove and refrigerator remained.
Her kids saw it too. "What are we going to do?" they asked.
The empty house became more than a painful moment. It became a picture of what divorce had done inside her. Everything felt stripped away. The life she had known was gone. The future felt uncertain. And the emptiness was not just around her. It was within her.
At that point, Annette had been attending DivorceCare for only a few months.
Then the people in her group and church community stepped in.
“Everyone furnished my house,” Annette said.
What had been empty was filled. And her children noticed.
For Annette, that moment became a visible picture of God’s provision. The house had been empty, and then it was filled. In the same way, her life had felt empty—full of loss, confusion, and pain. But through the care of God’s people, Annette began to see that God had not abandoned her.
“God provides,” she said.
DivorceCare did more than help Annette recover from the practical fallout of divorce. It opened her eyes to a world she had not known before. As someone who did not come from a Christian background, Annette encountered people who helped her see life, pain, and God in a new way.
“It changed my life,” Annette said. “Having people help me see things that I was never familiar with as a non-Christian—it opened the world to me.”
The support she received became a turning point. Annette was not simply given furniture. She was given a picture of grace. She was shown what Christian care looks like when it becomes tangible, sacrificial, and personal.
And now, Annette gives back because she knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that kind of love.
“The reason why I give back and I do so much is because so much was done for me,” she said.
Today, Annette helps lead DivorceCare because she wants others to experience the same kind of transformation. She knows people come into the group carrying heartbreak, shame, anger, confusion, fear, and exhaustion. She knows some are wondering how they will rebuild their lives. She knows some feel like everything has been taken from them.
And she also knows that healing is possible.
“If I can help even one person, that means I’m doing good,” Annette said. “If I can help two people, that’s awesome.”
That is what keeps her coming back.
Annette loves seeing the change that happens in people over time. At the beginning of a DivorceCare group, participants may arrive guarded, overwhelmed, and unsure if anything can truly help. But week by week, something begins to shift. They start to process what happened. They begin to understand their emotions. They receive practical guidance. They hear truth. They experience community. They see that they are not alone.
“I love to see the transformation of people,” Annette said. “In such a short time, you see people change. And then when you see them a year later, they’re different. They’re completely different people.”
Annette’s own life is proof of that.
She came to DivorceCare in a season marked by loss and emptiness. She found support, provision, faith, and a community that helped her begin again. And now, the person who was once helped is helping others walk through their own pain with hope.
That is why Annette leads.
“I keep going back because I’m called to do it,” she said. “It’s what I’m meant to.”
What began as one of the most painful seasons of Annette’s life has become a ministry of purpose. Through DivorceCare, God used the care of others to fill what felt empty. And now, God is using Annette’s story to help others believe that their lives can be filled with hope again too.
Annette’s story shows what can happen when someone who has walked through deep pain chooses to comfort others in theirs.
You may not feel fully ready. You may not have all the answers. But God often uses people who know what pain feels like to bring comfort to someone else.
There are people in your church and community who are hurting right now—trying to be strong while quietly falling apart inside. They need a safe place to process their emotions, receive support, and be reminded they are not alone.
Maybe God has been stirring something in you. Maybe you’ve wondered whether your church could do more to help those navigating a painful divorce or separation.
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