“You must not have any other god but me.” Exodus 20:3
“Whatever happens, I know this isn’t the end of me.” Those are powerful words shared by a woman who thought she was losing everything.
Olena is a wife and mother living in Ukraine. She was nineteen when she married the only man she’d ever loved. But as the years passed, she felt him pulling away—from her and their marriage. She tried everything. The distance only grew, and panic began to build inside her.
One day, in a dentist’s waiting room, Olena heard a Christian radio program for the first time. She found the station again in her car. Then, at home. Day after day she kept listening. And slowly, something began to shift.
Olena shared with the radio station: “Listening to your broadcasts helped me see I had built my life entirely on my husband and our marriage, and that was not enough. I finally understood I couldn’t fix everything on my own. When you spoke about letting go of idols, it struck me deeply. So, I turned to God. I prayed—not about saving my marriage but asking God to enter my life and help me.”
Olena learned that even good things—like a marriage—can take God’s place in our lives. “You must not have any other god but me,” God says—we’re only free when He is our center (Exodus 20:3).
“I’m still fighting for my marriage, but I’m no longer alone,” Olena says. “Whatever happens, I know this isn’t the end of me … I have Jesus now. I have true freedom.”
Stories like Olena’s begin when someone hears a scripture-based message at just the right moment, in their own language, in the middle of an ordinary day. You can help more people find that same hope and freedom. Send devotionals like this to millions around the world. Give a gift today at guidelines.org.
