We drove into the Rocky Mountains to a small retreat center. With our hopes high and our hearts still aching, we entered the weekend eager to heal. The days included group meetings where volunteer couples modeled good communication skills, then gave us a topic to discuss. Throughout the weekend Allen and I rehashed recent events, talked about the kids, money, forgiveness, and our future. We were able to break through some walls of hardness and spent a lot of time crying, laughing, and holding each other.

On Sunday afternoon, true healing came. Following a short church service, all the couples gathered in a circle and faced their spouses. We were going to renew our vows. The men went first. With tear-filled eyes, Allen renewed his vows to me. While he spoke I felt my heart open completely to him.

When my turn came, I swallowed hard and looked deep into his eyes as I vowed to love him for the rest of my life, in good times and bad. I knew at that moment my marriage would last. We left behind the crumpled pieces of a troubled marriage determined to rebuild a stronger foundation - this time with God at the center.

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Excerpted from Affair-Proof Your Marriage, a new downloadable resource from Gifted for Leadership.