What lead a grown man to sob uncontrollably in my arms, while saying over and over I want my mommy, I want my mommy? Forgiveness. I met him in Rwanda and walked him through forgiving his mother for leaving him and his siblings in the genocide for her own safety. Years he had held on to the pain, but he was in a place where he wanted to forgive her, and try to reconcile with her as well. Before we get there though...there is something else we need to address.
Which is harder, to say "your sins are forgiven?" or "get up and walk?" Can I take a moment and answer that? The forgiveness of sins part has definitely got to be harder. Like by a long shot. And I say this because I will tell people all day to have faith that to do what Jesus says, but for me forgiveness is not as easy as telling people to "just have faith" that what He says is true. Following Christ isn't easy my friends. And this is one of those acts of obedience that I can easily forget about, until I am confronted by the truth. And that is what happened Saturday morning, when someone called me out on it. The truth felt like a truck hit me. I was holding onto hurt from 20 years ago. 2 decades is a long time to hold unforgiveness, and carry it in your heart. But that is what happened, for more than half my life.
We were criticized again for that decision, “well it doesn’t seem that great now either”. And sometimes God’s best doesn’t look that great, because we live in a culture that is focused on numbers, instant gratification, and wanting what is easy, and on top of that the American dream is about the pursuit of happiness, and not obedience to Christ. And in a way that was what we were faced with. Do what would secure his job? Or trust that He had a plan, and that this was really His best for us, as we had at first believed?
When I was in high school, I had a guy friend. I guess I shouldn't say that I "had", because we are still friends. He was more of a family friend to both my family and Mike's actually. We stayed friends in college, always tried to see each other on the holidays we were around … Continue reading The Story Of The Memorial Day Dresses
Last week I flew to visit a friend in Texas, and I ended up getting into the topic of beliefs with a guy in my row. He shared with me what he believed, and why. I realized quickly that he knew what he was talking about. His beliefs hadn't been spoon fed to him. He had thought a lot about them. We talked about his desire to please God to get to heaven, and to have his sins atoned for by getting right in the eyes of God. So at the end of the conversation I said Why not Jesus? His answer was eye-opening.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so … Continue reading Where Life Lies: The Cross
I had this friend in college. She was more than a friend. I lived with her for 3 years. Like all of my roommates that I had, I knew her family. She was a few years older than me, but grew up and lived in the town I grew up in. We aren’t as close anymore, … Continue reading Where Life Lies: The Sacrifice
Just believe. Just have faith. Has anyone ever said that to you? I know people who have spoken against those phrases saying that they are not helpful. And I get it, I want the answers too. When God speaks, I want to know the what, where, when, how, and why. And you know what? Sometimes … Continue reading The One Reason We Should Just Have Faith
You're a good person. These were words said to me recently after I offered to do something for a friend, that most people wouldn't offer to do. What I offered to do fell through, for reasons out of my control. But these are words a Christ follower hate to hear, because if you are a … Continue reading The Story Of The Deer: Because He Came
I am just going to get right to the point here. I am not a huge fan of giving gifts. However, if I am going to get a gift for someone, I love finding them the perfect gift. Like LOVE! It gives me joy. A few weeks ago, knowing a dear friends favorite verse about … Continue reading The Story Of The Deer