Thank you for joining me here in my little corner of the world. I want to welcome those of you hopping over from today’s P31 Devotion where my friend Donna shared her story of forgiving her father’s abusive behaviors. Today, I asked Donna to share more with us.
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I strained on my tip toes to peek through the curtains. Fear and panic gripped me as I watched the car go round and round. Spinning through one ditch then raging across the street, throwing dust and rocks into the air and barely missing a row of mail boxes. And finally, coming to a complete sudden stop as smoke billowed from the engine.
What started as a simple late night chore the night before ended in the chaos of Dad jumping in the front seat of Mom’s car the next afternoon and literally driving it to its’ death.
The night before mom had taken a late night trip to the laundry mat in my dad’s car. On our return trip home, my dad’s car overheated. Mom had no way of getting in touch with my him so she kept driving – it was late and she was alone with her three little girls.
He was furious about the damage to his car, so the next day He sought revenge by ‘doing donuts’ in the ditches alongside our country home until Mom’s car died.
This was one of many explosions. But it was the one that sent my mom over the edge and led her to pack up and leave. A few days later, after Mom had sold all our furniture, we loaded onto a gigantic gray bus that took us to my uncle’s house. A few weeks later we moved in with my Granny.
The next forty plus years, my Dad walked in and out of my life just as he drove the car in and out of the ditches that afternoon so many years ago. Broken promises. Broken hearts. Broken dreams. Broken girls. Broken family. And yes, still a broken car.
Recently, my Dad was kicked out of his nursing home for the third time for his temper and was admitted to a mental hospital. I sent an email to my friend Stephanie asking her to pray. Her reply, “…have you forgiven your dad…just wondering…wanted to make sure you were set free from that before things may get even worse with him.”
As I processed her question, I was flooded with emotions and memories of the car spinning uncontrollably in the ditches so many years ago, but God also instantly flooded my heart with His words from Matthew 18: 21-22, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.
I was able to respond with a “YES”! I had processed past hurts several months ago with Dad and intentionally went to see him after 15 years of absence. As God walked me through the visit, He made it perfectly clear that I could not change Dad, I could not change my past BUT I did not have to let my past define me.
In her book, A Confident Heart, Renee shares her powerful journey of forgiveness and says this:“Confidence came as I followed God’s command to seek and offer forgiveness.” Her story has helped me see that it’s possible to forgive and worth the redemption God promises when we do. As I have sought to follow God’s command to seek and offer forgiveness, He has filled me with His confidence to make hard choices – the choice to accept Dad – the choice to pray for Dad – the choice to forgive Dad – the choice to live in God’s confident hope.
I wish I could tell you that it was a one-time act of forgiveness like the one we’ve received from Jesus; but it wasn’t. It’s not. Forgiveness happens as current or past events surface. The key for me is to continue the forgiving – continue with the seventy times seven – to continue the circle God started so that He will complete it: “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in {me} will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).
Lord, thank You for Your gift of forgiveness. Please help me to forgive those who have hurt me –just as you have forgiven me – especially when the memories of the past come flooding in. Help me keep no record of wrongs. Thank You for filling me with Your confidence. Thank you for freeing me from my past and my pain and not allowing them to define me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Won’t you join me in living a life of freedom – freedom from your past – freedom from your hurts – freedom from your fears?
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Today Donna and I wanted to share a 
“Living in the Light Giveaway” which includes a Willow Tree “Angel of Hope,” a Fall Yankee Candle and 3 signed copies of my book, A Confident Heart.
To enter to win, simply sharing your thoughts with us about Donna’s devotion or blog post here – or simply let us know how we can pray for YOU as you process Donna’s stories and God’s truths about forgiveness in your life.
Forgiveness truly is a process! It took me months of dialy laying on God, those who abused me as a child. forgiveness came in small steps, but it’s so freeing! I’m still working on the Confident Heart! Love the book.
I was touched by the story. My dad has passed away and there are things I did not get to tell him that I wish I could. I just try to remember the good times and forget the hurtful events. Sometimes it is easier saidthan done. I will continue to work on it and pray for myself as well as you!
My heart was touched as I read your story. Thank you God for the gift of forgiveness and that we can walk in God’s love and experience freedom from being held by bitterness.
What an encouraging post! I was especially struck with how often we need to forgive the same thing… I thought I was doing something wrong when what I had forgiven would still come up in my mind or heart. Thank you for being so for real…what an encouragement!!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I teared up then could not stop the river that flowed as the abuses (the ones I remember anyway) I have experienced flooded my brain. Many times I tell others that yes, I have forgiven, how could I do less after what Jesus has done for me? BUT, the wrong word, wrong tone, or catching myself angry at minor things, brings some things back. Unfortunately I have to interact with one of my abusers on a regular basis, and sometimes I have to get on my knees again.
God Bless!
Tamara
I am right there with you Tamara….there are times when I think I am wearing my knees out ….and like you I think of those strips that Jesus took for me across His back for me and I hit the knees again. Praying for you!
Donna, thank you for sharing your story. What a joy it is to hear how God helped you to continually forgive your father! You have set a powerful example of compassion, love, and forgiveness! I am blessed to be able to call you my friend. I love you!
<3 Heather
Heather, thank you so much for your encouraging words. And I am praising Him for the amazing work that He has done and is doing in my heart. And I love you too!
Just wanted to thank you for reminding me to forgive unconditonally, to set my self free. From your story…I am stronger in knowing the choices I have made for my son & I are the best.
This year has been the hardest yet most precious of my life. I share the story with many of you, off a troubled childhood that has somehow managed to survive though all of my 43 years. I have carried a little girls frightened and wounded heart in a woman’s body, until God impressed on me that enough was enough and that until I could forgive and let go, I would never be free. Self imposed prisons are the hardest places to survive and until we realise that we are the prisoner, nothing will change. Forgiveness is the key that allows us to unlock our own cell doors and walk out into the glorious freedom that is a life lived in, through and for the name that is above every name, Jesus. It is a painful road to walk but step by step, day by day, the pain begins to fade and hope for a new day and a new way begins to grow. We are all daughters of the most high and holy God and are loved unconditionally and eternally. Thank you Renee and Donna for your words, for the sharing of your hearts and for the demonstration of the power of forgiveness in the books that you have shared so wonderfully with us all. May God continue to bless you both lavishly.
You bless my heart!
Thank you for this post- and related posts- I am touched by your story. well – your story touches my nerves. For me and other beloved ‘sisters’ of mine. may the blessing of the Father who loves us come to be realized by all who are touched by this story.
I always appreciate reminders about how we must forgive to be set free. How for us, it is a process. Thank you Donna for sharing your very powerful testimony.
I have a copy of Confident Heart, but I would like one to send to my sister. She is separated from her husband and she is blaming him for everything. She doesn’t understand that forgiveness is for her benefit, that her bitterness is affecting her health. She is bipolar and had a manic attack after her husband moved out. She burned most of his personal possessions that she found around the house
Goodness! (((Hugs))) Donna!!! Touched my heart as I too have some things to STILL forgive dad about. Please pray. Love!
I’m in the middle of an on-line bible study right now, and today’s verses were Colossians 13-15. Part of that passage talks about how all of our sins are forgiven. And I know that just as I am, so must I forgive others. I’ll be sharing this post with the on-line group, and I’d like tosharea song here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Lu5udXEZI
It’s “Forgiveness” by Matthew West
My ex threw me away after 32 years. Your book encouraged me to forgive daily. Would love to share the give away with a hurting friend.
Donna, thank you for your post and congratulations on your first P31 devotion!! Question for you: I have a strained relationship with my father. He was a good father to me growing up but he was not a good husband. My parents divorced after my brother & I had moved out of the house. Anyway, my dad did not handle the divorce well and he would call and yell at me – my mother had a restraining order so I was the next best thing. Anyway, I would tell him I was at work & hanging up which infuriated him even worse. This went on for a long time. Finally after the divorce was final things settled down. Then someone broke into our barn that me & my husband shared with my father. Although things owned by both of us was stolen, my father accused my husband of doing it. My husband & my father had never got along which had always created a little tension. The final straw was when I got the call with the ultimatum that I needed to get a divorce or no longer have a relationship with him. My son was 6 or 7 weeks old at the time so my father quit talking to me. This was 18 years ago. We saw one another at my grandmother’s funeral about 5 years ago. We talked and had lunch a time or two since then. My kids who are 18 & 13 have no desire to know their grandfather. We have talked about it numerous time. They have heard stories about my childhood but to them their grandfather is the man my mother re-married. He is wonderful man who loves them as his own. They remarried when my son was a newborn. I have fogiven my father but anytime we talk is awkward to say the least. Does forgiveness mean I have to maintain a relationship with him?
I pray God gives you wisdom on your situation. I do know however that forgiveness doesn’t mean that consequences are erased. I suppose if you have tried your best and have left the ball in his court, then it’s ultimately up to him to change. Sorry, i can’t be of more help.
Melanie, I would say “no” that forgiveness does not mean that you have to maintain a relationship with Him. I was sexually abused around the age of 8 by a friend of the family. I avoided this man like the plague after the first time of abuse. And the older I got, the more I avoided him. I truly believe that if I would have maintained a relationship he would have tried again. And I didn’t work through the forgiveness part of that one until he had passed away.
Another example would be for someone who was raped or kidnapped to forgive their abuser. It’s great to get to that point of forgiveness but I would not want to maintain a relationship with the abusers.
Wow – what a HUGE step of courage in extending forgiveness & breaking free from the chains of bondage! Will share the devo & your story with a friend who recently did forgiveness work regarding her family. Praying for you as you continue letting Jesus heal your wounded heart & the intimate love grows between you & Your heavenly Father! Thanks so much for sharing!
Donna,
Thank you for your boldness, courage, humility. Thank you for your reminder that the past does NOT have to define you today. I pray for confidence in the Lord, I have it sometimes, but not all the time and not 100%. too much from the past – I have to be strong to survive; for that is the skill I learned at a very early age. I am a strong person, but that really means I’ve put a barrier between me and Jesus. In some spots. I used to have this little booklet called “My Heart Christ’s Home” and it talked about letting God into ALL areas of your heart/life. Not just the ones locked up b/c it is too “messy”. The mess I think, for me, is un-forgiveness – of my self and parents and siblings.
So, thanks again for being a guest blogger. For being a true sister in Christ, being courageous to show vulnerability and dependence on Christ.
Blessings to you this weekend!
Thank you for sharing your testimony. I really appreciate it. God has been really dealing with me about forgiveness & this is just an extra push for me to really forgive. Thanks again, may God continue to use you!
I needed this. I so desperatly need to let go of my past, and forgive those who hurt me. Thank you for sharing this.
I had (have) an emotionally absent father, so even when he was around (military), he wasn’t. However, that was much preferable to when he wasn’t home. I literally worried myself sick when he was getting ready to leave, until I was 11 and God brought me a dream that was actually what had happened when I was 3. My mom is the unstable, abusive one in my family. As a child I was never good enough (health problems & learning disabilities — sister who can do about anything without working at it). Mother is verbally & emotionally abusive, and neglected us. If it wasn’t for my maternal grandparents, (who were nothing like the parents my mom describes — different place in life?), I would not have known I was loved or had a safe place to go. I married someone like my mom, except he was physically abusive as well. Once we were in college, Daddy apologized to us girls. Mother still lives in denial, blaming everyone else for the problems she causes herself. Forgiveness definitely is a process. So easy to get frustrated, instead of focusing on all that I have to be thankful for, and trusting God to make me into who He created me to be.
Praying for you Holly. And you are so right.. It is one of the hardest things to do. But so freeing when you do.
It’s amazing how much of that I can relate to my own life. My father has been an alcoholic and addict my entire life. I had it in my mind, that in order for me to forgive him for events in my childhood, he would have to show me that he had changed. This led to much bitterness and anger, and needless to say, I had no relationship with my father. That is, up until a couple of years ago. I began praying about it and allowed God to let me see my father through His eyes. My dad’s temper has mellowed a bit, which I must admit has made it easier, but the person who has changed the most in the realtionship is me. I now accept what my dad can offer. Though I continue to pray for a great heart (and life) change in him, I no longer punish him by keeping my distance. I think in the long run, that is a much better witness anyway.
Love the power of prayer and always amazed that when we pray we are the ones that walk away transformed for His purposes and His glory!
I am in awe of our Healer who never instructs us to “forgive and forget” but walks through every emotional memory with us to heal us from the bottom up. Every layer, every painful place He seeks for us to go, He has been there ahead of us and has prepared the way. The work of forgiveness is difficult but brings joy and freedom. How to live with a spouse/ father to your children who has hurtful ways about him…… How to draw godly boundaries and become stronger as a wife/ mom in order to identify and prevent some of the hurtful matters to continue (as they are subtle at times). Minimizing possibilities of passing on the practice of hurt to future generations but healing the present and past is what is sought. very difficult to accomplish when children are young adults still, out of financial and health necessity, living under the same roof. However, then the opportunity remains to heal before they leave! (God work in my husband’s heart is beginning to show). Thank You, Lord of All, You are called Faithful and True.
Praising Him with you!! It’s all because of Him!
Thank you for this encouragement. It has been a rough week dealing with a family member who I struggle having a healthy relationship with and all the stress that goes along with it. Your words on forgiveness were what I needed.
Thank you for this story to illustrate the need to forgive and the instruction to keep forgiving, the assurance that forgiving is not a one time event but an every day opportunity. I am moving across country to go home where my family is tho they are not welcoming me home. Coming from an alcoholic home, I seem to be the only one in recovery and a believer not only in God but in forgiveness. I haven’t an idea yet how I will get there – there are plans in place but I struggle to trust and believe, how I will get thru the next 30 days. This is truly one day at a time knowing anything that occurs will be God’s gift, blessing and desire for my life. I have a past built on fear and ask for prayer as I daily recognize that this fear is not from the Lord but from the past and I can tell ‘it’ to be behind me (Satan). I am learning to trust God’s love. This is the toughest time of my life, sometimes an exciting destiny, other times not. I know so many are going through times like these.
Praying…. and hugs for those tough times.
I just want to thank this ministry as a whole. Donna’s testimony was what I needed today to remind me other children of god know the pain I feel. I felt all those things & more & have been fighting years to continually forgive. I know that Satan also uses other people with the same kind tactics to remind us of those who have hurt us & lies to us to get us thinking its a new issue & about that new person when it’s really just them revealing my hurt from another still exists. I like Donna had abuse in my family & I had it from both ends of the spectrum, both dad & mom. Yet it was my mother with unmentionable betrayal as she is not here to defend herself that led me to never trust women. I have learned to include women in my life but about yrs ago I happened to find Proverbs ministries & it touched me in a way I really needed- with conviction of god to return daily so I may be fed with wisdom of Godly women & see women as worthy & myself as worthy as a woman & take pride in my womanhood rather than despise it cause I didn’t want to be associated with the woman who hurt me soooo deeply to steal my youth & my children’s as well. The daily devos have truly built my womanhood- I have sisters & motherly figures to draw a good example from so I can share my talents & gifts with the world with all confidence. Yet as any person we all have days of dubt & today was one of those days & God put Donna’s devo there to remind me I am not alone. Thank you God for never leaving us or forsaking us & giving us every good & perfect tool to shape us into your image. Thank you God for this ministry & these women being some of the tools you have given me. Thank you for the love & humbleness of these women to help me be the woman you wanted me to be. I pray each woman who visits this ministry site can be equally blessed as I have been. Amen
You are so not alone and never will be …. love God’s promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. And He gave His son for us. What a gift so that we could experience forgiveness and then learn to give it!
what an inspirational journey. it gives me hope to heal wounds that are raw. i need to forgive and accept-boy are they tough. working on the obs of “A Confident Heart” began my journey and Donna’s story gives me fuel. thank you both for sharing and leading us. hugs and blessings, julie
Thank you for your sharing this topic with us. In growing up I watched how unforgiviness eat my mother up. She missed out on a lot of happiness with my dad, brother and me. She could not forgive her parents nor her brothers and sisters for the love she did not feel nor the things she thought in her mind she deserved. Through all of it, my brother and I learned how important and how hard sometimes forgiviness is. We have to do it daily. Again, thank you. You have blessed me today.
“Forgiveness happens as current or past events surface” Very well said.. Just dealing with whatever it is right away.. Thank you for the simple, but powerful and life applicable insight.
My heart broke for this little girl who faced such hardship as a child and then I clicked on the link to see who this Donna was and it’s Donna -the Donna who was so kind and friendly to me at the Proverbs 31 conference! Thank you for reaching out to me Donna. And thank you for a beautifully encouraging post here today.
Keep writing!
Lots of Love,
Courtney
Hey there,
And it’s great seeing you on Renee’s blog! I’m used to seeing you on your blog and on twitter! So excited for your new book and can’t wait to hear all about and better yet read it! Praying for you and your amazing ministry.
Thanks for taking the time out to visit and comment.
I would like to say thank you for the story today. Forgiveness is a hard thing. But I know the Lord always forgives me so I know I need to forgive others. Even if it’s seventy times seven. Thanks for sharing and reminding us we have to have a forgiving heart.
As I have grown older I have seen more and more people who like me have struggled with letting the past be in the past. I am 53 and still fight the feelings of rejection. I thought many of those years it was my father who was the problem. I grew up in an abusive home as well. The difference was my father was not a drinker. He plainly was an angry man who professed Christ but had never accepted Christ. The person I struggle with though is my Mom. She allowed this pattern of behaviour yet never stood up for us. She couldn’t because … Yet I struggle today because she still hasn’t changed. Yes she divorced him eventually but never accepted me. See I look like my Dad and she rezents that. I live under that cloud and have not been able to get beyond that. Your book I trust would help. The thing I really see is I am not alone. It seems I see many families that have been destroyed by sin. Because that is all it is. When Adam sinned we were doomed. Only through Christ death on the cross can we truly see what true love really is.
I thank Donna for sharing her story. It is a comfort for us to hear we are not the only one who struggles or struggled with parents that let us down. It takes a special person to share and open themselves up like this.
May God continue to heal your heart with His unfailing LOVE.
Praying His healing upon you as well Cindy. And yes you are worthy and are loved!!
How do you forgive someone when they deny doing anything wrong, and still lie about what they’ve done? A family member has hurt me badly, and even if I choose to forgive them in my heart, I don’t really care to see or talk to them again. Is that wrong? I don’t think I can ever push all they’ve done aside and be in the same room with them and act like nothing ever happened. I have great anxiety when I even think of being someplace where I know they will be. Would you agree that even if you are related to someone, that doesn’t mean you have to have a relationship with them?
Will you offer another lbs for a confident heart? I missed the last one.
Brought me to tears. Forgiveness is so ONGOING!
WOW! As I was reading your devotional and got to the part about the car doing doughnuts and your Dad driving crazy God sent a picture to mind…..a little girl, her Mommy & brother standing and watching her Daddy drive off angry leaving them – the fear and the feeling of being abandoned was paralyzing. I don’t know how we got home, I don’t remember that part. God has been working in me to forgive my ex-husband (not that he’s asked to be forgiven). I left a 20 yr. marriage that started out with the man of my dreams and wound up being, as my pastor stated, “not what God intended a marriage to be”. Your comment that it’s a constant effort of forgiving 24/7 is almost comforting..because I’ve tried forgiving but when something spurs a memory the anger is so quick to come back, I can’t stand to be in the same room with him – it brings back everything that was bad, but it also hurts terribly because my dream died. God is still working in me, He has me on a journey right now, I don’t know where we are going, but I do know that I am growing. Thank you for being so honest and open. You brought new insight into “issues”. May God continue to bless you in your ministry!!
Thank you for sharing and the reminder to forgive seventy times seven. I keep a relationship with my father, which still puts me in a path of constant emotional abuse from him. I struggle constantly trying to remember that he will not change, and in some ways I really don’t think he realizes he is doing it. And sometimes I think he knows exactly what he is doing.
Every visit I pray and lean heavier into God. I don’t get angry as much. I don’t trip up and fall into his trap and manipulation as often. I don’t call myself stupid quite so often (it was his favorite name for me). I still have a hard time praying for him. I struggle to forgive him. I still beat myself up repeatedly when something goes wrong, and I just “know” it’s my fault. It’s a growing process.
The thing I hate is that his degradation has effected my marriage and feelings about my husband. And worse, I struggle with these emotions in my relationship to God as my father. I’m learning how to accept another father that is “Abba”. I try and repeat frequently that God does love me unconditionally, and that he will always be there for me, and that he won’t belittle me or crush my hopes and dreams.For that I am truly grateful.
Dad is getting Altzheimers now. He forgets our conversations, and the many times he has gotten mad at me and hung up the phone. He forgets the abuse of the past. I want to forget and forgive before that stage of life.
Truly thankful for all who share here. My God bring a special blessing to you.
Donna,
God truly has us go through situations and circumstances to help others go through them. So many of the words you felt about yourself I also felt and sometime still feel about myself as a result of my relationship (or lack of) with my earthly father. Despite the fact that I believe I have forgiven him; these ‘words’ and feelings still resurface when my earthly father comes to mind. If you can forgive your father and come through it, I believe I can also. Please pray for my continued forgiveness of my earthly father and for my deliverance of the feelings that come from these words.
Sincerely,
Michelle Nehrig
Your story about your abuse was very heart wrenching. I cannot say that understand the road you walked because I grew up in a loving home. My sister has gone through a difficult marriage and divorce that has left her and her children hurt. She is walking a journey right now of forgiveness and healing. It has been difficult watching her and her kids go through this journey. I love my niece and nephews deeply and wish I could easy their heartache but I can only pray for them and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. Think you for being willing to share your private hurts in such a public way.
My brokenness is from a marriage filed with broken promises & unrequited feelings. A lack of commitment cultivated after a childhood filled with brokenness of the heart & the bones. These chains must be broken if we are ever top move forward. Thankyou for sharing your story & Gods healing for your life.
I’ve entered the process of forgiving my dad and am doing fairly well, thankfully. The part that I struggle with is my mom’s thinking that when I forgive him, I am siding with him and not her. He hurt her in many ways and she’s bitter and wants me to treat him unfairly so that she can feel more justified. She tells me so many instances where kids don’t communicate with their dad after they hurt their mother. I want to communicate with him but she gets so hurt by it.
Wow. What an example of forgiveness! Thank you for sharing some of your difficult life experiences.
Donna,
I usually skip over these blogs to get other things done. So glad I took a few minutes to read it! Thanks for taking the time to share your story and allow God to use you to reach out to others. I needed that reminder today of forgiveness. In a book by Sally Clarkson, i read: “It is gracious forgiveness that enables us all to move past our mistakes and keep on growing. Even more important, it is forgiving grace that makes real love possible in our lives.”
Renee,
Your book A Confident Heart has been such a blessing to me. The way God orchestrates things is so amazing. I am in awe of Him daily. God spoke to me while I was doing the study and it has changed my life and my marriage. Thank You so much. I tell everyone about your book 🙂 I would love to win so that I can share the blessings.
God bless you both for serving Him!
Thanks for sharing this incredible story of forgiveness! What an ordeal to go through and process as a child. It’s so wonderful that Donna can forgive. Isn’t God’s power amazing?!?
Wow…forgiveness is really the only way to go! I have learned ( Not always in the first situation) that forgiveness is what gives us freedom. Unforgiveness really only hurts the one unable to forgive. I am learning through Christ’s example to totally forgive those who have wronged me. Another really good resource is the book and other material available through Peacemakers. It was really a key in helping heal our mission team that had gone through a really roughtsituation.
Hello there, first let me say thank you so much for your post today. I’m now 55 and have my own memories of a troubled and tormented childhood. Of course that lead to a troubled and tormented first marriage and more abuse. I’ve read Peter’s question to the Lord many many times and knew I had to go through the process of forgiveness. The end of my story is that I returned to the Lord after I got married for a second time and the Lord is working in our lives, my husband is not saved yet but listens to my TV broadcasts from American and appreciates my faith and believes in his own way. I am still praying for him and have great hope. Thank you for the opportunity for a wonderful giveaway, I do hope that living in England doesn’t exclude me. God bless you in your ministry, you are reaching so many people. Kind Regards Mandy Currie ([email protected])
Praying for you as you pray for your husband. And praying for your husband’s salvation. May God reveal Himself to your husband.
The amazing power of Christ to help us forgive! I have very recently been faced with forgiving past hurts I thought trully were not issues for me. Clearly although I thought I had dealt with the issues, I not forgiven the person(s) as I should have! Oh the rush of relief felt when knowing that the past is just that and there is no reliving due to the healing of letting go and forgiving.
I stand amazed at how I know Christ has forgiven me in just that same way! He is calling me to miinister and I am patiently waiting as He opens doors!
Thank you sharing this again thru your blog! Read thru it twice as I read earlier the P31!
Blessings!
Thank you for your timely words. I continue to struggle with a mother who not only was mean to us kids growing up, but especially abusive to Dad when he had Alzheimer’s. I didn’t think I could be around her after he passed, but I did forgive her and began anew. Now that she has Alzheimer’s herself, I find a lot of old stuff I thought I’d let go bearing down on me again. Thank you, Lord, for daily cleansing and renewal.
Just prayed after reading your blog. I think have dealt with all the past hurts but I just went through it with Jesus again and asked Him what my relationship should be with people that have hurt me. Thanks again for all you do.
I like your statement, ” I could not change my past BUT I did not have to let my past define me.”
I feel like I am at that point in my life. There are things there that I haven’t sopke to anyone about. Dumb as it may sound, I don’t want to hurt those that hurt me or love me. Thanks for all you do, I appreciate the verses on facebook. I would enjoy receiving a copy of your book, which I have been wanting to buy but haven’t been able to do so yet. If you would pick me please just send the 1 book and forward the rest to another person to benefit from.
We were just talking about forgiveness during our prayer time last night when I was meeting with a ministry team on my college campus. One of the girls was sharing about something she had been dealing with and she said the same thing–about how forgiveness isn’t just a one-time deal but a constant choice, because that same hurt may happen again and again. It’s so encouraging to see how people who have been through such heartache can emerge victorious by the power of Christ in their lives. And it truly is freeing to really know and understand that God is in complete control and He can get us through anything when we place our trust and our lives fully in Him. Thank you for such an uplifting devotion!
It is all by His power and His power alone!