I fell to the floor and curled up in a ball, unable to stop crying. My wife was gone, and it was too late to tell her how sorry I was for the 20 years of anger, cheating, and coming home drunk I’d put her through.

I was a United States Navy Senior Chief, but at that moment, I was just a broken man who had lost everything he thought that mattered. And that’s when I felt the presence of God descend into the room.

I knew I was undeserving of His love. I had given my life to the Lord as a teenager, but rebelled and walked away from Him. Yet here He was, comforting me in the moment of my greatest loss. I even sensed that He was not angry with me and that He loved me deeply as I heard Him say, “This will soon pass, My son. I have plans for you.”

Then—just as He poured His grace out on Saul, a murderer of Christians (Acts 9:1–19), transformed him, and set him on a new path—God poured His grace out on me when I was least deserving. His immeasurable grace set my life on a new path.

Today, I work as a senior chaplain in the Department of Corrections, teaching men in prison about Jesus. But my journey here was long and painful. I went through much darkness before finally finding the light.

I grew up in rural central Florida, in a home marked by much unrest. My father was an abusive alcoholic who made life difficult for the rest of the family. My mother loved us kids and did her best, but our lives were filled with much struggle. Praise God, my father eventually gave his life to Jesus, but that didn’t undo the pain he’d caused.

By the time I was 17, I was buck wild, drinking in the same bars as my dad. My mom, unable to control me anymore, sent me to live with him.

During this time, a new friend from school invited me to a youth event at church. I decided I wanted God in my life and went to the altar to ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life.

But I didn’t understand what that meant, and no one followed up or taught me how to build a personal relationship with God and live as a Christian.

A month after that decision, I enlisted in the United States Navy to start a new life. Let me tell you—life as a sailor was not the ideal setting for a brand-new Christian. Exciting ports, foreign women, and lots of alcohol grabbed for my attention, and I quickly chose a lifestyle far from the one God desired.

Four years later, I met Trina, a beautiful woman from the Philippines. We married after seeing each other for only a few months. I wasn’t ready for marriage, though. And I’m ashamed to admit that I was not always a good husband to Trina.

I had serious anger issues, and I took my frustrations out on her. Not only that, but I had a gambling problem too. I was in a casino gambling away Trina’s paycheck while she was in the hospital giving birth to our daughter, Susan.

I loved my family the best I knew how—but I was a broken man who didn’t know what a functional, healthy family life was all about.

In 1999, after 14 years of marriage, Trina was diagnosed with stage 3B breast cancer. I was terrified. All I could think about was our 13-year-old daughter. How could I possibly raise Susan alone?

As Trina’s disease progressed, I became very aware of my need for God, but I felt unworthy to ask Him for anything. Nonetheless, I begged, “God, please don’t take my wife. But if You must take Trina, please don’t take her until Susan graduates from high school.”

God, in His great mercy, answered my prayer. Trina was healed. After one year of chemo, radiation, and a mastectomy, the cancer was gone. I was grateful to God, but I didn’t surrender my life to Him. Still, He continued to pursue me.

Each day, I carpooled to Camp Pendleton with friends who listened to Christian radio. God used His Word, taught on that station, to tug at my heart. I wore sunglasses so nobody could see my tears.

In late summer of 2004, I heard a voice inside me say, “Mike, you’d better get your family in church before it’s too late.” I knew it was God, but I kept dragging my feet.

About six months later, my daughter called me at work. “Dad, Mom’s eyes are yellow.” I didn’t believe her, but she insisted. We discovered the cancer had returned, and a few days later, my wife of 20 years was gone.

I was completely broken, lost, hurt, and desperate. And I knew exactly where I needed to go.

I had seen a church sign near my home during my carpool rides to the Navy base. After Trina’s funeral, I went to the church.

I sat in the back row crying like a baby, saying, “Lord, why wasn’t I the one to die? Why Trina?” All she ever did was love me, even when I hurt her. Now it was too late to say I was sorry.

I knew God was giving me one last chance to come back to Him, and then I thought of Susan. My daughter needed to see that Jesus was real in her father’s life. She deserved a godly father.

At that moment, I surrendered my life completely to Him. I repented of my sin, asking Him to forgive me and to help me move forward.

God didn’t remove my pain and grief overnight. Instead, He entered my grief with me and faithfully walked me through it, teaching me that when life is dark and circumstances are hard, He will always bring me to the other side (Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 43:2).

Eventually, my grief began to lift as I walked with God daily, read His Word, fellowshipped with other believers, and attended church regularly. God exchanged my grief for His joy (Psalm 30:11).

I never thought I’d be able to laugh again, but God gave me that gift. He also gave me a second chance at marriage.

I met Julie at a church conference. Not long after, the pastor had us over for dinner. Julie tried to scare me away by telling me about her past. But when I learned how God had radically delivered her from a 17-year addiction to alcohol and meth, kept her through 22 months in federal prison and various health issues, and saw the incredible joy she exhibited, I was attracted to her more. God had truly transformed her. (See Julie’s story on page 18.) He had rescued us both (Psalm 18:16–19) and brought us together. I wasn’t going anywhere.

I fell head over heels in love with this kind, smart, beautiful woman. Julie sang in the church choir, got straight A’s in college, and was on fire for God. We dated for six months before I proposed and she said yes.

After the wedding, I began feeling there had to be more to being a Christian than just going to church on Sundays. I told Julie what was going on, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She told me she had promised God that once she was released from prison, she would spend the rest of her life going back in to tell others how much Jesus loves them.

We prayed and asked God for open doors. One week later, we met a woman who had a prison ministry. She invited us to attend a women’s minimum-security event and share our testimonies. I felt a spark of excitement I’d never felt before. God was up to something big.

That first prison chapel service changed my life. The minute those women walked in, wearing their faded orange uniforms, carrying their worn Bibles, and eager to hear about Jesus—I knew I was where I belonged (Ephesians 2:10). What a sight to see 35 women raise their hands to heaven and worship God, tears running down their faces.

I shared my story, and they cried even more. Some chose to place their faith and trust in Jesus after hearing my testimony. Immediately, I remembered Jesus’s words in Matthew 25: “I was in prison and you visited me” (v. 36). I knew that day that my calling was to the incarcerated, to those that Jesus called the “least of these” (v. 40).

Today, I serve as a Department of Corrections senior chaplain in a men’s prison. I also run a discipleship group teaching men about Jesus. Julie and I have been married for 20 years now, and God has done amazing things in our lives. We have a wonderful relationship both with my daughter and with Julie’s son and their families.

You know, when Trina died, I thought my life was over. I was filled with regret, knowing I could never go back and make right all the wrong I’d caused.

But God’s mercy and grace are bigger than my mess. I couldn’t go back, but I could move forward with Him. And as I did, God restored the damaged, broken, and lost things in my life.

He can restore all those things in your life too.

Maybe today you think your life is over, that you’ve wasted all your chances, and there’s no way you can go back and fix what you’ve destroyed. Humanly speaking, you might be right—some things in life can’t be fixed. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end.

God, in His great mercy, can plant a new garden in the soil of your life. He can help you rebuild your life into something beautiful, something with purpose. He can give you a brand-new start and rewrite your story, just like He did for Julie and me.

The question is, will you let Him?

Consider: Mike knew his daughter was watching his life. Who in your life needs to see a real transformation in you? How could your story of God’s restoration become an encouragement to them? How might the things you’re most ashamed of become the foundation for your purpose?

MIKE SEALS is a Department of Corrections senior chaplain in a men’s prison. He and his wife Julie have ministered together for 20 years, bringing hope and healing to the incarcerated through the love and power of Jesus Christ.