Been a crazy couple of days. After a long trip / short weekend in OK, I'm packing to go camping at Kincaid Lake / Kisatchie National Forest in Boyce, LA (near Alexandria) so I won't be taking up too much time with today's introduction.
Vanessa D Werts has shared the spotlight and treasures with us and today she shares some thoughts....
God is the Healer of all things broken.
God wants to heal everything about us that’s broken: our heart, thoughts, and relationships.
Having gone through childhood feeling unloved by my father, I believed that I was justified in being bitter and resentful toward him. I knew what the Bible had to say about forgiveness, but how could these principles apply in my situation when I was the one left hurting?
For nearly twenty years, I struggled with forgiving my father for not being there for me; for loving my sister and brother more than he loved me. At least that’s the opinion I drew based on his actions. But God didn’t leave me with those negative thoughts.
One Wednesday night in a Bible study class, the teacher gave us a homework assignment to write a letter to a person of our choosing, forgiving them of an offense they’d made against us.
My father was the first person that came to mind. By this time, I was in my late thirties and had barely had a handful of conversations with my father before he passed away from a massive heart attack.
Though mortality has a way of softening the heart, I was still surprised by the emotions that sprung up as I wrote to my deceased father. This was the first time that I had given my pain a voice. Putting the words on paper caused a tenderness to happen in my heart: compassion replaced the bitterness and for good while I wept. I realized that my father was only human and that he must have had pain in his life too when I was a child. I prayed for him that night as I closed out the letter, hoping that he didn’t die alone and that he was at peace.
God used this exercise in forgiveness to heal my broken heart, all the thoughts associated with my father in childhood, and the outcome of our relationship (in my heart). I felt so free after writing that letter. The healing power of God had restored the years of my life and made me whole when I least expected it.
God wants to heal everything broken in our lives. This is how we get on with living the abundant life he promised in his Word.
What a wonderful testimony Vanessa! Forgiveness is definitely something we should all think about.
Overcoming many obstacles in her own life such as daddy issues, sexual assault as a teen, infidelity in marriage, divorce, and being a single mom, motivated Vanessa to be a champion for women achieving a positive self-image.
Her primary purpose for writing is to encourage and inspire women to walk in their God-given right to be healed and whole. Find out more by visiting her website.
Vanessa's newest release, Lies and Love: Cleansing the Heart to Make Room for Radical Love is available at Amazon.
Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
10 comments:
That's a very moving story, Vanessa. Thanks for sharing.
Susan, I was glad to share how God has healed my story. The pain is gone. :)
Thank you so much for being so open and sharing Vanessa. Forgiveness is so powerful and so under valued. Once again thank you for sharing.
I thought of someone who'd betrayed me over and over again when I was a child, and I still haven't forgiven him. I'm no longer as bitter, but forgiveness? That hasn't happened, but with sharing your thoughts, you've given me hope that I might feel the same one day. Thank you.
That was a moving story and proves that it is never to late to forgive someone. Thank you so much for being brave and sharing it with us. It definitely made me think about some people in my life.
A very positive outlook. Forgiveness does heal the soul.
Nicole - I felt as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off my heart when I finally forgave my father. And though he was no longer around, the closure I needed to stop being angry, came when I let go of the grudge I held against him.
Brenda - I completely understand. It took a long time (over 20 years) for me to even process forgiving my father. Honestly, I didn't think he deserved it. But one day God changed my heart... He had me to look at what happened in a different way after my father's death. From there, I realized that I needed to forgive him in order for me to move forward with a free and open heart.
Kara - thank you. That's what I love about God. He knows our pain, even when we don't talk about it; and He has given us words such as "forgiveness" that pack a mighty punch. It's never too late to forgive, because when you do, the power that comes with it, destroys the pain of many years. The memory will last, but not the pain associated with it.
Jacqueline - forgiveness does heal. I'm so grateful for it. I have peace about my past now.
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