On Marriage Unhindered, host Doug Hinderer welcomed Dr. Christine Bacon, the “relationship doctor”, to share what she’s witnessed in the trenches of hopeless marriages. And what she revealed isn’t just encouraging. It’s astonishing.
Dr. Bacon explained that she has spent years walking with husbands and wives whose marriages look beyond repair: betrayals, affairs, abandonment, civil divorce, annulment filings, financial stripping, even the loss of contact with their children. Yet many of these spouses stand firm on their vows anyway. “God does his best work in the 12th hour,” she said. “These people… their spouses are annulling them, divorcing them, and having affairs on them. And these spouses are still standing on their vows.”
The world says to cut losses, hire a lawyer, and chase personal happiness. But these men and women choose something radically different. They choose the Cross. And grace is doing what human effort can’t. “Even though the world says, ‘Move on… you deserve to be happy… your spouse is a loser,’” Dr. Bacon explained, many remain faithful. Some lose money, property, or even custody in the process—but they refuse to stop loving the spouse who walked away.
What began as four people meeting in her living room has grown into a worldwide movement. “We started out with four people in my living room in 2016… and we are now over 500 people in every state in 10 countries,” she shared. “And we have had over 40 reconciliations already.” Doug could hardly believe it. “Is that right?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied. Because these spouses choose what Jesus teaches: “Deny yourself. Pick up your cross. And follow me.”
Doug affirmed her message wholeheartedly. He described the common cultural script: I have a right to be happy. I have a right to find my soulmate. And you’re not it. He reminded listeners that this mindset contradicts Christ’s teaching. “What God has joined together, you can’t pull apart,” he said. “You can separate the bodies… you can go live in different places… but you can’t separate the souls.” God Himself binds a husband and wife, Doug said, and abandoning His design only deepens the wound.
Still, Doug offered hope for those whose spouse has walked away. “There’s no problem in a marriage for which there is not a solution,” he said. Sometimes a spouse insists they are “done,” but that is “today’s news.” Hearts soften. Stories change. And time—especially time surrendered to grace—can heal what seems impossible. He reflected on how often he encounters reconciled couples years later and how these stories echo the witness found in Leila Miller’s book Impossible Marriages Redeemed. Dr. Bacon smiled and added, “I’m in that book.” Doug laughed: “Well, now I’m going to pay attention!”
Each testimony reveals a pattern: God works powerfully when even one spouse remains faithful, prayerful, and steadfast, even when everything looks lost. The world tells spouses to run. Jesus calls them to love. And as this conversation makes clear, grace still raises marriages from the dead.
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