Tag Archives: trust

Forgiveness 

30 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Daily Truth, Encouraging, Faith, Hope, Jesus, Prayer, Self Reflection

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Forgiveness.

That’s a tough subject for many, especially when you’ve been deeply hurt. A big part of my story revolved around the wrong definition of what forgiveness meant. Questions led to fear and that fear led to beating myself up over and over again unknowingly leaving the door open to more hurt. 

What is forgiveness? 

To make a choice to pardon or release someone based on a wrong they did…that’s forgiveness. It’s doesn’t at all mean that the wrong was justified or that it never happened. Some think that to forgive is to admit that what someone did wasn’t wrong. That you, the one hurt, doesn’t have a reason to be hurt or offended. That they, the offender, is off the hook. Wrong! There are consequences, but we are not always the one to determine what those are. It is NOT a get out of jail free card for them…it’s for you. To be free from anger, resentment, bitterness, and pain. It’s a gift you give yourself. 

I was taught that just so long as they said “sorry” that was enough. Well, that’s not enough for me and I found that’s not enough for God either. He requires more, a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and a change of heart and actions. 

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Proof is what I like to call it. How many times have you asked for forgiveness and turned around and did the same thing again? Or, someone has said sorry only to turn around and repeat their behavior? We must live by Gods standard, especially if we hold others to them. 

What isn’t forgiveness? 

Forgiveness is not shoving things under the carpet. Forgiveness is not forgetting it ever happened. That’s denial and avoidance. Doing this hides us from the truth and closing the door on our healing. Pain left unhealed blinds us to our future. We can’t move forward because we are always looking back. 

Forgiveness doesn’t have to establish a relationship. This is where so many people have it wrong. They think to forgive is to allow that someone back in your life. In some cases this will happen and relationships can be restored. Sometimes, relationships are altered and require strict boundaries, if not a temporary or permanent separation. Take abuse for example. Should someone who is being abused allow the abuser access to them just because they apologized? Or should there be boundaries that limit relationship and access until a pattern of sincerity and changed behavior is proven? 

Sadly, so many of us don’t know how to forgive and begin the process of healing because we have been misinformed. 

Forgiveness is a choice. Gods word tells us to forgive so that we can be forgiven. 

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Although we may never do what someone has done to us we are not perfect. We too, are human. Imperfect. It’s a process. We are a process. It took me a moment to forgive and years to walk out the process of healing. It took a moment to ask for forgiveness, but time to learn a new way. This is a process that if we can walk it out no matter the pain, we can be free, eventually.  Free from the stains we caused and free from the stains that others have left behind. 

I don’t pretend to have it all together. Many days I have to remind myself that it takes time. Being quick to forgive is hard, but freeing. Knowing that I need Gods forgiveness keeps my heart pliable to truth…Gods truth. 

I pray Gods truth would be louder than our past hurts, lies, and misunderstandings. My desire is that we can move forward and experience healing, healing that leads to freedom. Freedom that helps us set others free! 

Em ❤️ 

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Homesick 11/6/15 

06 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by in Daily Truth, Encouraging, Faith, Hope, Jesus, Self Reflection

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Happy Friday y’all!! 

Today I am feeling homesick. There are moments that this journey wears on me. I get tired and I miss the comforts of home. I miss my family. I miss my friends. Not everything was perfect but I had a comfort zone {don’t we all} and I would have never left except to be obedient to the Lord. 

Sometimes our obedience leads us on a journey to lonely places. I recall the story of Abraham. The Lord called him out to a place where he had never been. He just went. He gathered his family and went. He didn’t have a plan. He had faith. He trusted blindly. This decision of obedience will always cost us. We will lose some things, some people too. We will leave things and people behind. We will take a huge risk in the hope of God being faithful. 

In Hebrews 11 it tells us there are rewards for such faith. It’s the hall of faith. What a list of amazing people doing extraordinary things for God. These were everyday people like you and me. They got homesick. I’m sure at times they wanted to go back {the Isrealites did}. I sometimes want to too but on days like these when home seems so far away I choose to remember everything God said and did. I take my tears to Jesus and he comforts me with hope. Hope for all he is going to do even though I don’t see how. I am comforted knowing that I am not the only one who took a risk and left home. I am encouraged that like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and all the others who have walked a journey, that I too, will be rewarded for my faith. What an honor! 

Ride or Trust? 10/19/15 

19 Monday Oct 2015

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Good afternoon my peeps!! 

There are days that I live on the edge of a breakthrough or a breakdown! Can you relate to this roller coaster ride? One day I feel great the very next I feel like I’m going to die. How is it that we can be so extreme? There is no way to avoid issues, people, or struggle so how can we remain stable and steady? Jesus tells us {John 16:33} “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

He tells us “TAKE HEART” to have hope, to be encouraged, be brave, cheer up, and be confident {not in us but in him}!! If he told us this then he must’ve known that there would be times that we would lose heart, hope, courage, and confidence; that there would be trouble. 

The last time I went on a roller coaster I had to get in line {a long one} and wait {I did NOT want to go}. Every inch closer my heart would drop and get butterflies because I knew what I was getting myself into. My son {the reason I was in line} wasn’t so sure he wanted to go through with it once he heard the screams. I told him you don’t have to get on {inside I’m screaming…please change your mind}. There is a gate that leads us out if you want to get out. Mom will respect whatever you decide. We didn’t get on after all. Smart kid!! 

We have a choice to ride the emotions of our flesh or trust God. God will respect our decision. He waits for us to decide. He stands ready to grab our hands and lead us to safety. He is able to steady and stabilize the flood of emotions that threaten our peace of mind, if we choose to allow him. Well, I choose Jesus! I choose peace! I choose to believe and trust! I choose to not allow my emotions to deceive me one day longer! I stand on the word of God and his perfect track record of victory! Not once has Jesus failed and he won’t start now!! 

Take heart my friend…we have Jesus on our side and he ushers us into victory and peace every time!!  

God Is Moving 10/16/15 

16 Friday Oct 2015

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Good afternoon friends!! 

It’s Friday yahoo!! I was feeling relaxed and ready to rest tonight but the boys are having a sleep over! Yikes!! Pray for me!! 

Last night as I was getting ready for bed my heart was heavy as I began to pray. There are so many things that I need God to do and I want to see him move…now. I immediately felt this check in my spirit that said “I have and I am, the greatest moves I’ve done for you Em have been in you, remember?” well that certainly changed my prayer. 

How many times do we look to touch our blessing and miss the wonder of the blessings God has done in us; the ones that can’t be tangibly held? A lot of times we can overlook our greatest victories because we can’t hold or touch them. When I look back over the past four years I see the miracles of a transformed mind and a healed heart. Outside situations may not have changed much but I can recall a time when I cried out to be delivered from my wounded heart and messed up mind set. God has done just that!! How could I have missed that?! Easily. When we think of blessings we see a great job, a house, cars, a closet full of clothes, and yearly vacations, to name a few. These are great blessings but they are not the only ones. A renewed mind and healed heart are blessings too. 

I don’t know what God has done in you or what he has delivered you from but I urge you to remember. God has done great things for us and we need to acknowledge them. I know you may be discouraged as to what you haven’t seen changed yet but God is working on those things too! He is concerned about every area of our lives. Don’t lose heart when you see all that needs to be done instead look at what has already been done. The Lord promises to make every crooked place straight. Trust today my friends that God IS moving!!  

Have a great Friday!! 💞 

Detour to Destiny

20 Sunday Sep 2015

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Ever since I was a child I wanted to be a child psychologist. I wanted to sit next to a couch and listen to their troubles. I wanted to contribute to their healing. As time went on I started school and eventually had children and never finished. The desire to become a psychologist diminished and I no longer wanted to do it. Now what?! I was without passion or purpose. I loved being a mom and a wife but I knew there was more for me to do. 

One day I was asked to join a bible study at my church. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to join because it was for the older women. I felt like I didn’t belong but I went out of obligation to myself to be involved. Best decision ever!!! It was there that I was given the opportunity to lead prayer and teach a few lessons. It was there that I discovered my passion, my purpose…encourager and teacher. I found my mentor and dearest advocate. She saw me. She loved me. She pushed me. These older women were the perfect environment. It was their wisdom that encouraged me. I wanted to be like them. Mature and full of wisdom. They were unafraid and honest with me. It’s been a learning curve even though it was natural for me there was much to be done to ready me for my future. 

Since then the Lord has had me on a journey to perfect that which he started in me. I wanted to be a psychologist so that I could help heal those hurting including me. I figured helping them would help me. I still want to help people heal but now I’m taking them to the Healer…Jesus. The only way I could ever do that was to experience healing in myself first. You can’t lead people to a place where you’ve never been. Using my life, my story, and my pain has become my favorite thing to do. Sometimes we take a detour in life and it leads right where we were supposed to be all along. It was destined. Designed. Purposed! I pray the road you’re on leads you exactly where you need to be even if it’s the road you didn’t intend to take. I encourage you to stay the course and trust there is a bigger plan for your good at the end. Jesus promises to never lead you where he won’t go. Grab his hand and go…your destiny is waiting!!