By: Christy Lustig
The Lord called upon me to do the good work in his precious name, when I least expected Him to. I found myself in a situation plagued by the darkness that I knew the enemy had sent to destroy me, and admittedly, I did struggle briefly to find the light again.
My “picture perfect” plan for my life turned out differently than I’d hoped, but always according to His plan. Even when I refused to see it that way. I
In the moment, it’s so easy for emotions to take over, to question everything and trust nothing. I gave into the emotions of betrayal, and suffering and it felt all-consuming. These are the integral moments that test our faith and ultimately lead us closer to our Lord God in our earthly walk.
Acts 17:27 says “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Over time, I did exactly that. As time passed, I began to open my heart to healing, forgiveness and love. I felt Him pull me closer as I worked to reconstruct my relationship with Jesus. Part of me believed that God was so disappointed. How could He forgive divorce?
I should have known then that I would always be loved and welcomed with open arms as a Daughter of the most High King. Often, such as in my circumstance, moving forward to a place of peace requires forgiveness of oneself and of others. A choice to forgive.
I know, easier said than done, but it is in these moments when we give our obedience to Jesus and truly embody what it means to live as He lived…..that we understand His strength in us.
Over the course of six months, I prayed for Jesus to soften the heart of someone I needed to forgive and to allow mercy and forgiveness to also embody this person. While I wait for prayers that sometimes seem to go unanswered, making a choice to forgive has brought blessings to me. Blessings to help me and soften my heart. Spending time with Jesus has allowed me to hear what He has for me as I truly listen. Solidifying that I had to put my trust in Jesus, and allowed Him to answer my prayers in the way He saw fit, even if it was not exactly what I asked for.
This week, God put it on my heart to reach out to someone who played a role in my past hurt, and I found my heart overwhelmed with gratitude to take a step towards opening the line of communication and welcome the rebuilding of a relationship once lost to pain. I know God is a God of restoration and reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) In doing this, I immediately felt an incredible calm and relief as I took a step forward in my healing journey with King Jesus, AND made the bold move to take the power away from our enemy as I rebuked him. For what our enemy sets up to destroy and harm, God makes good.
Ephesians 4:32 says “Be kind and compassionate to one another. Forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Forgiveness: A CHOICE to live like Jesus.
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