Jeff and Lorie had been married 25 years and had eight children. It all ended in 2014 in a difficult divorce that caused tremendous grief to their family.

Over the course of the next three years, Jeff changed careers. Both Jeff and Lorie sought new ways to reflect on their past and move forward with their lives.

Then a few months ago, a surprising development took place–Jeff and Lorie began talking, and even dating, once again.

Over the holidays, Jeff and Lorie exchanged presents. Jeff gave Lorie a poem he wrote called “Love Burns Anew.” Lorie also found an unexpected ending to the poem.

In the video below, you can watch as Jeff proposes to Lorie a second time. Their story has gone viral, showing true love can sometimes happen twice to the same couple.

Friends have also decided to help provide funding for the couple’s upcoming wedding through a GoFundMe page. More than $2,000 has already been raised.

What does this have to do with faith?

Everything.

First, love isn’t easy.

Jeff and Lorie fought through 25 years of marriage and child raising only to lose the battle for their marriage. Even after their divorce, issues remained for both individuals. Over time, their love boomeranged to bring them together again, but not without significant hardships for the entire family.

Second, divorce isn’t always final.

Yes, most divorces will not rebound into a second marriage. Many probably should not. However, there are cases where even the finality of divorce cannot end the relationship. I have witnessed similar situations with others who have been apart for years, only to realize they were better together again.

Third, loving again is possible.

Whether in a marital relationship or otherwise, love after heartache is possible. It is not easy nor is it convenient, but love is not limited by the ending of a legal relationship.

This is true of a husband and wife in divorce, children and parents, and other relationships that appear damaged beyond repair.

God often has a way of reconciling the impossible in ways that show he is involved.

To note one biblical example, consider Jesus and his friend Peter. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied he knew Jesus on three different occasions.

The next day, Jesus was put to death.

This would seem to be the end of the story.

Yet God was not done working in Peter’s life.

After the resurrection, Jesus and Peter would unite again in the final chapter of John’s Gospel. Jesus would ask Peter three times, “Do you love me?”

Peter responded each time with a yes.

Peter denied Jesus three times. Now he affirmed him three times.

How did the story end? Jesus reaffirmed his love and his mission for Peter.

Peter would go on to serve as a leader in the early Christian movement, boldly sharing his love for Jesus with everyone he could.

Struggling with a particular relationship with another person–or with God? There may yet be hope. For Jeff and Lorie, their hope has led to a second wedding, a rarity in our culture. What could God do in your life as you seek hope in him today?

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Dr. Dillon Burroughs is one of America’s top communicators on today’s Christian issues. He serves as senior writer of The John Ankerberg Show and is author or coauthor of nearly 40 books. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter. He lives with his wife and three children in Tennessee.

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