Lysa TerKeurst is opening up about one of the darkest seasons of her life-and the heartbreaking confession she says many Christians are afraid to admit.
Appearing on Kirk Cameron's Takeaways, the bestselling author and Proverbs 31 Ministries president revealed that after discovering her former husband had been living a double life, her deepest struggle wasn't only with betrayal-it was with God Himself.
"When I would get really quiet and lay in my bed, if I was super honest, I felt betrayed by God," TerKeurst admitted. "I knew He saw what was happening, and He didn't stop it."
The emotional conversation centered on TerKeurst's book, I Want to Trust You, But I Don't, where she explores rebuilding trust after devastating heartbreak.
Throughout the interview, TerKeurst challenged the popular phrase "trust issues," arguing that it can become a label people accept instead of something they actively work through.
Instead, she offered what she believes is the biblical path toward restoring broken relationships.
"The only way that trust can be repaired is time plus believable behavior," she explained, adding that genuine reconciliation cannot be rushed and requires consistent actions over time.
She also introduced what she called the two essential ingredients of healthy trust: safety and connection.
According to TerKeurst, people recovering from betrayal often swing too far in one direction-either prioritizing safety so much that they avoid meaningful relationships or craving connection so desperately that they ignore obvious warning signs. Healthy relationships require both.
One of the interview's most memorable moments came when TerKeurst warned Christians not to confuse forgiveness with automatic reconciliation.
"We can fully forgive someone and yet not jump right back into a relationship with them," she said, stressing that forgiveness is commanded by God, but trust must be rebuilt wisely rather than blindly.
TerKeurst also reflected on wrestling with difficult questions about God's goodness after her marriage collapsed. Rather than chasing answers for why suffering happens, she said believers should cling to the truth of God's character.
"I don't understand what He allowed," she said. "But I have to wake up every day and filter what I'm experiencing through this reality: God is good... and God is good at being God."
The conversation concluded with a message of hope for anyone struggling to move beyond betrayal.
TerKeurst encouraged listeners to stop tying their healing to whether the person who hurt them ever apologizes.
"We've got to make the choice to detach our ability to heal from choices they may never make," she said. "My choice to heal is my choice to live and move forward."
