From DUI & Deception to Deliverance (Black Love) – with Shaun Williams

My hubby Shaun is back with today! We spill the tea on how we met, our tumultuous dating, including a tragic car accident & DUI, the ups and downs of getting pregnant and married at a young age to where we are today.  Whew!

The first real situation we experienced together was at Shaun’s senior prom. I left with one of my guy friends and Shaun, in a drunken rage, followed and ended up in a car accident. One of the lowest moments in my teenage years was this night. Shaun totaled his car and went to jail. After the accident, we didn’t see each other because my mom wouldn’t allow me to see him. Shaun lost his football scholarship, experienced depression, and was shipped off to boot camp.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Once Shaun decided it was time for change, he left for boot camp. He really felt that this experience helped grow him into a man. He would write several letters to me as he was away, but I was never the long distance type. After many months of being away, Shaun returned from boot camp and ended up running into my mom and me at the mall. Shaun said he was getting married (which was a lie), but once I got ahold of this news, I knew I couldn’t let this happen. We slowly rekindled our relationship and got back together.

Surprise Visitor

It was time for me to go off to college and Shaun decided to join me. One month into college, we got a big surprise. I was pregnant. This news completely changed the trajectory of our lives. I knew that it wasn’t possible for me to raise a child in a dorm room, so I knew I had to drop out and leave college. Since our church taught us that we must get married because we’d had a child out of wedlock, we married at 18 and 21. Ahem, not advisable.

Early Marriage Infidelity

Shaun and I experienced so many struggles when it came to being new parents and newlyweds. We suffered from infidelity on both sides and experienced a really tough relationship in the earlier years. It got so bad that I didn’t think that I would be able to continue on with this marriage. It was extremely challenging trying to build a family foundation when nothing in our life felt stable. We both knew something had to give. It was time for us to both start working on ourselves, creating a relationship with God and healing things that held us back from being all we knew we could be.

ALSO LISTEN TO: Rebuilding Trust: Rebuilding Us: Our Journey Out of Infidelity 

Turning Shadows to Light

We both knew that there was healing needed in order to allow our relationship to survive. I got my relationship with the Lord back on track, and my life completely changed. Shaun got therapy and started realizing who he actually was. We both started healing from things that caused us pain in the past.  It sounds super simple, but it’s true: this healing really allowed us to come together and create the family that we have today. Through God’s love, grace, and guidance, we were able to not only survive our marriage but thrive in our marriage. Our journey from DUI, deception, near-divorce, and doubt has led us to sharing our testimony with as many people as we can. We are a living witness that if God can do it for us, he can do it for you too . . . if you’re willing to surrender, forgive, repent, and let him make you new.

Listen to the full episode and share with someone who can use some encouragement in their marriage today.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

Learn the 7 Secrets to a Healthy Marriage

Teen Pregnancy, Parenting, & Talking to Your Kids About Sex 

How to Get Your Spouse to Go to Marriage Coaching 

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