Over twenty years ago now, I began a journey that I did not know I would have to make. The only way to find True Love was to redefine what it meant. My journey led me into realms that I was unaware of before. Unconditional Love had eluded me, but I would soon discover that it was Real, Tangible, and Incredible. I began to discover a Love that I had always longed for but never really knew that I already possessed.
Oh, I had heard it talked about. Rumors and whispers seemed like lies to me. The kind of love they talked about only seemed impossible to me. I could not begin to fathom this Love or the Author behind it. I was confronted with a Love that was bigger than anything that I had ever dreamed of or ever dared to imagine, let alone Hope for. A Love that could offer Forgiveness and through that, help me to forgive as well. A Love that was truly Unconditional, not excusing my past or my failings, but a Love that could forgive even the worst, the deepest, and the darkest of my secrets.
In the Bible, 1 John 4:19 says that “We love each other as a result of His loving us first.” As a result of this, we forgive each other because He has forgiven us first. And this was the key that I needed to open the door to the Enchanted Land that I had longed to dwell in. A Land of Grace and not condemnation. A Land of Hope when all seemed lost.
Beaten down, betrayed by false love, wrapped up in a soap opera of a tale, I was twisting in the air and hanging on by a thread. I was also learning to let go, though at the time, I did not know it. I was being prepared for what lay ahead of me and the painful process of having false beliefs clipped away from me. When all that I had known was stripped away and I was laid bare, that's when I received help from a Loving Creator-- a Substituted Sacrifice, but a Risen Master. The overwhelming Comfort and True Love I received from Him was and still is Indescribable. Like being in a fairy tale story, it still seems to good to be true. But the Truth is that it is so Good that it is True.
Psalm 147:3 “ He heals the Brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.”
Psalm 34:17-18 “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
As I look back now at this road I have been on, I see the milestones of what I've learned along the way. New discoveries that have come from growing deeper into a relationship with my Creator- Savior. Love and Grace and the experience of them both in practical ways and everyday life. The blessings that have come through my brokenness have been overwhelming and the restoration, if not the complete replacement of, the false love that I once knew.
There are times when I'm tempted to forget these lessons, but He gently nudges me to remind me of the Love and Grace that He's offered to me and the command to show and share it with others. I am forever changed by what I have been through. The journey, at times, feels like it takes so long to learn the new things that I need to know. (This is due to my uncooperative and rebellious spirit.)
Yes, I have found it easy at times to forget the lessons learned and forget that everyone needs to know and experience His Love, Mercy and Grace. But as the anniversaries of tragic events roll around on the calendar, I am reminded again of where I am and where I have been. Of what I was and who I've become. Of being on my own and now being His. The blessings on this side have far surpassed anything that I could have dreamed or imagined, reminding me that it was worth it all to come through the storm.
Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Oh, I had heard it talked about. Rumors and whispers seemed like lies to me. The kind of love they talked about only seemed impossible to me. I could not begin to fathom this Love or the Author behind it. I was confronted with a Love that was bigger than anything that I had ever dreamed of or ever dared to imagine, let alone Hope for. A Love that could offer Forgiveness and through that, help me to forgive as well. A Love that was truly Unconditional, not excusing my past or my failings, but a Love that could forgive even the worst, the deepest, and the darkest of my secrets.
In the Bible, 1 John 4:19 says that “We love each other as a result of His loving us first.” As a result of this, we forgive each other because He has forgiven us first. And this was the key that I needed to open the door to the Enchanted Land that I had longed to dwell in. A Land of Grace and not condemnation. A Land of Hope when all seemed lost.
Beaten down, betrayed by false love, wrapped up in a soap opera of a tale, I was twisting in the air and hanging on by a thread. I was also learning to let go, though at the time, I did not know it. I was being prepared for what lay ahead of me and the painful process of having false beliefs clipped away from me. When all that I had known was stripped away and I was laid bare, that's when I received help from a Loving Creator-- a Substituted Sacrifice, but a Risen Master. The overwhelming Comfort and True Love I received from Him was and still is Indescribable. Like being in a fairy tale story, it still seems to good to be true. But the Truth is that it is so Good that it is True.
Psalm 147:3 “ He heals the Brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.”
Psalm 34:17-18 “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
As I look back now at this road I have been on, I see the milestones of what I've learned along the way. New discoveries that have come from growing deeper into a relationship with my Creator- Savior. Love and Grace and the experience of them both in practical ways and everyday life. The blessings that have come through my brokenness have been overwhelming and the restoration, if not the complete replacement of, the false love that I once knew.
There are times when I'm tempted to forget these lessons, but He gently nudges me to remind me of the Love and Grace that He's offered to me and the command to show and share it with others. I am forever changed by what I have been through. The journey, at times, feels like it takes so long to learn the new things that I need to know. (This is due to my uncooperative and rebellious spirit.)
Yes, I have found it easy at times to forget the lessons learned and forget that everyone needs to know and experience His Love, Mercy and Grace. But as the anniversaries of tragic events roll around on the calendar, I am reminded again of where I am and where I have been. Of what I was and who I've become. Of being on my own and now being His. The blessings on this side have far surpassed anything that I could have dreamed or imagined, reminding me that it was worth it all to come through the storm.
Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
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