A husband and wife have told how it’s second time lucky for them, after they rekindled their marriage after they split.
Chris and Stephanie Teague, both 35, were high school sweethearts when they started their relationship. Things quickly progressed, and the couple got hitched while studying at college in 2006.
Chris, who worked in the music industry, was busy focusing on his professional career as Stephanie studied to be a first grade teacher, with their careers contributing to them gradually drifting apart.
The couple’s shared faith in God waned, and Chris began to use alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms to deal with the pressures of pretending to be someone he wasn’t. He started to feel as if he’d be better off alone.
In 2010, after months of deceit and heartache, the couple finally filed for divorce and went their separate ways.
Chris pursued different relationships and experienced life for the first time as a single man, but ultimately failed to find what he was looking for.
He quickly realised that he ‘felt more lost and alone than ever before’, and a year later he decided to return to his local church, which is where he crossed paths with Stephanie once more.
During their time apart Stephanie had also dated other men, but similar to Chris, nothing came of her experiences.
This kick-started the revival of their relationship, and after involving their family and friends and receiving marriage counselling, they got remarried in 2011.
Chris, from Nashville, Tennessee, said: ‘As a young couple we had no mentorship and no one to advise us about how difficult married life can be.
‘We got married at 19 and 20 whist we still had so much else going on in our lives. From the outside we looked like the perfect couple, but issues started to develop which we didn’t know how to deal with.
‘It’s without doubt the hardest thing we’ve ever had to go through, but it’s also what’s led us to where we are today.’
Although it was Chris who ended their marriage, after seeing Stephanie again at their local church it was him who sought to win her back.
He added: ‘After reconnecting with my faith, I started to realise that God wanted me to pursue things with Stephanie.
‘This came as much of a surprise to me as it did to her, as when we got divorced I said that even if I rediscovered religion later in life, that I still wanted to remain apart.
‘Our relationship is now based on the principle that nothing is too far gone, and suffering can either break you or make you stronger.’
Chris and Stephanie ignored the doubters who said their relationship would never survive a second time round, and went on to have their first child in 2013 and their second two years later.
Shortly after their remarriage, they began entering singing contests together, and to their surprise they were constantly complimented on their natural chemistry and musical talent.
After getting to the final of one contest by singing about their relationship, the couple decided to pursue music as a full-time career – going by the name of husband and wife duo ‘Out of the Dust’.
In 2015 they embarked on their first music tour, and they now perform 60 – 70 shows a year at churches, events and conferences all across the US.
Chris mainly plays the piano and guitar whilst Stephanie sings, and the duo play a mixture of pop and folk songs about their Christian faith and its importance in their relationship.
Stephanie said: ‘When we sung in that final of the contest, a woman came up to us in tears saying that she was going through the exact same thing in her relationship.
‘That’s when we realised the power of our story and how interesting it was, and we just want to share it with as many people as we can.
‘We didn’t give up on our relationship even when others were telling us to, and now we’re celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary.
‘We really feel like we’ve proved the doubters wrong and we are looking forward to a bright future performing together.’
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Rush Hour Crush – love (well, lust) is all around us
Visit Metro’s Rush Hour Crush online every weekday at 4:30pm.
Tell us about your Rush Hour Crush by submitting them here, and you could see your message published on the site.
Source: Read Full Article
