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Forgiveness: The Double-Edged Word
LYSA TERKEURST Lee en español “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.†Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Do you ever find yourself defining life by before and after the deep hurt?
The horrific season. The conversation that stunned you. The shocking day of discovery. The divorce. The wrongful death so unfathomable, you still can’t believe they’re gone. The breakup. The day your friend walked away. The hateful conversation. The remark that seems to now be branded on your soul. The day everything changed.
That marked moment in time. Life before. Life now. Is it even possible to move on from something like this? Is it even possible to create a life that’s beautiful again?
I deeply understand this kind of defining devastation in such a personal way.
Like you, I wish I didn’t have such an intimate understanding of those feelings. But I do.
If you read my book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way , you know of the shattering discovery of my husband Art’s affair and the long road of uncertainty I was still walking at the end of that book. The four years of hellish heartbreak that followed the discovery did eventually take an unexpected turn toward reconciliation.
I’m grateful, but I have not been spared the slow and grueling work of finding one’s way again after experiencing something that forever marks your life.
When your heart has been shattered and reshaped into something that doesn’t quite feel normal inside your own chest, the word “forgiveness†feels a bit unrealistic to mention.
But friend, can I whisper something today I’m learning?
Forgiveness is possible, but it won’t always feel possible.
It’s a double-edged word, isn’t it?
It’s hard to give. It’s amazing to get. But when we receive it so freely from the Lord and refuse to give it, something heavy starts to form in our souls.
It’s the weight of forgiveness that wasn’t allowed to pass through. And for me, that’s mainly because I’ve misunderstood something so incredibly profound about forgiveness.
Forgiveness isn’t something hard we have the option to do or not do. Forgiveness is something hard-won that we have the opportunity to participate in.
Our part in forgiveness isn’t one of desperation, where we have to muscle through with gritted teeth and clenched fists. It isn’t sobbing through the resistance of all our justifications to stay angry and hurt and horrified by all they did.
This is what I once thought forgiveness was, and after already being the one who was hurt, I couldn’t imagine having yet another process to work through.
But when I wrongly think forgiveness rises and falls on all my efforts, conjured maturity, bossed-around resistance, and gentle feelings that feel real one moment and fake the next, I’ll never be able to authentically give the kind of forgiveness Jesus has given me.
My ability to forgive others rises and falls on leaning into what Jesus has already done, which allows His grace for me to flow freely through me. ( Ephesians 4:7 )
Forgiveness isn’t an act of my determination.
Forgiveness is only made possible by my cooperation.
Cooperation is what I’ve been missing. Cooperation with what Jesus has already done makes verses like Ephesians 4:32 possible: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.â€
Forgiving one another just as Christ forgave you. God knew we couldn’t do it on our own. So, He made a way not dependent on our strength. A forgiving way. A way to grab on to Jesus’ outstretched arms, bloody from crucifixion and dripping with redemption.
He forgives what we could never be good enough to make right. He makes a way for us to simply cooperate with His work of forgiveness … for us to receive and for us to give.
That person or people — they’ve caused enough pain for you, me and for those around us. There’s been enough damage done. And you don’t have to be held hostage by the pain. You get to decide how you’ll move forward. If you’re knee-deep in pain and resonate with the feelings of resistance I have felt too, let me assure you: Forgiveness is possible. And it is good.
So, I want you to just sit here for a moment today and consider the possibility around this double-edged word, “forgiveness.†Not because your pain doesn’t matter. Not because what they did was right. Not because it fixes everything. But because your heart is much too beautiful a place for unhealed pain. And your soul is much too deserving of freedom to stay stuck here.
God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus so we don’t have to do life alone. Thank You for caring about my pain and meeting me in this place. Show me how I can cooperate with forgiveness today, even when it’s hard.
Help me continue to take steps in this healing journey with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY: Colossians 3:13 , “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.†(NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES: Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can’t go on like this, but you don’t know what to do next. Walk through a step-by-step process to free yourself from the hurt of your past with the help of Lysa TerKeurst’s newest book, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. Preorder your copy here today , and start reading the first 3 chapters immediately!
CONNECT: Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst on Instagram .
REFLECT AND RESPOND: How does it encourage you to know that forgiveness is made possible by our cooperation instead of our determination? What other freeing truth did you learn about forgiveness today?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments .
© 2020 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 Ministries
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SIMPLICITY OF THE CHURCH And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:22-23
Rene looked carefully both ways as he turned the corner. No one seemed to be watching. Wiping the perspiration from his forehead he glanced at his watch. He was five minutes early. He walked slowly around the block a second time to arrive at the large gate at exactly 7:14. He pressed the bell three times: short…long…short. It was the newly changed code to indicate he was a fellow-believer. The gate opened and closed quickly as Rene slipped inside. In two hours time there were several hundred believers gathered secretly in the basement for fellowship.
Rene sat quietly waiting for the others. He remembered reading in a magazine about a small group in China that gathered weekly in the back room of a small store to worship together. It was the era of the infamous Cultural Revolution. Since the believers could easily be overheard by anyone entering the store, they “sang†hymns together without words or music. Someone whispered the name of the song and they would silently move their lips and simply think of the words and music.
He chuckled out loud. The memory came of Pastor Wally saying, “We are an underground church like the believers behind the Bamboo Curtain, but the difference is that we can praise in full voice because the facilities are sound proofed. Not even our closest neighbour can hear us.â€
This is a description of a church group in Saudi Arabia – a country that has not had an official church in over fourteen hundred years. And yet many believers meet together secretly and at great risk all over the country.
The most common way for the church to express its faith in western societies has been through the institutional pattern. Consequently, this is the only pattern with which many Christians are familiar. But this form can be easily eliminated by a repressive government, is difficult to maintain in other hostile environments, and may not be appropriate to local cultural needs. There are other options if you and your fellow believers were under the rule of those who were trying to repress Christianity.
RESPONSE: Today I will accept that there are many forms of church to fulfill the five biblical functions of the church.
PRAYER: Pray for those around the world who must meet in secret for worship services.
Promise #265 Promise #265:
I will give you a peaceful sleep surrounded by safety.
Psalm 4:8 (WEB)
In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep,
for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.
There are many things in this world that cause us to be afraid and to not feel at peace. As a result, many people struggle with sleep at night because of the numerous anxious thoughts that they have circulating in their minds.
Jesus was able to sleep on boats in the midst of storms. He is the Prince of Peace and has promised to give His peace to us. In John 14:27 Jesus says… Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (NIV)
His encouragement to us today is to not be afraid. He will make us to lie down in peace and have a restful sleep surrounded by His abiding sense of safety. For all those who struggle with getting a good night’s sleep, I pray that this promise would become a tangible reality for you today.
May you go to sleep tonight not dreading a night of tossing and turning. May the tangible presence of the Prince of Peace surround you and envelope you with His love so that you can feel truly safe so that you can have the best sleep of your life!
TRUSTING GOD DAY BY DAY “Gird Up†Your Mind
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
†— 1 Peter 1:13 NKJV
You and I aren’t accustomed to hearing the phrase “gird up†today. But in biblical times both men and women wore long, skirt-like outfits. If they tried to run in those clothes, there was a good chance they could get tangled up in the long fabrics and stumble. When they needed to move quickly, they gathered the material of their garments and pulled it up so they could walk or run freely. They would “gird up†their clothing.
When the Bible tells us to “gird up the loins†of our minds, I believe it means to get our minds off of everything that would cause us to stumble as we run the race God has set before us. I think it may also refer to concentrating on the thing at hand rather than allowing our thoughts to wander all over the place. God has a good plan for each of us, but we must walk the path that leads us to it.
Focus and concentration are both real challenges in our world today. We have a great deal of information coming at us all the time, and to keep our minds on what our purpose is requires great determination, and even training.
You might get up on Monday and fully intend to start your day by spending time with God in prayer and Bible study.
Then you intend to get three specific projects finished that day. You need to go to the grocery store, get some maintenance done on your car, and finish cleaning out a closet that you started working on last week. Your intention is good, but if you don’t focus on those projects you will surely be pulled away by other things or people. Girding up your mind is another way of saying “stay focused on what you need to do†.
Trust In Him — Have you developed an ability to concentrate and focus on what you need to do? In order to stay on God’s track for your life, you must keep focused and trust Him to be your guide.
Releasing Anxiousness by: Marshawn Evans Daniels
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ( PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 NKJV )
When God gives us a directive, He doesn’t put an asterisk at the end. There is no fine print with exceptions and conditions where His Word and will don’t apply. We are to be anxious for absolutely nothing. By anxious, God means that we are not to be worried, apprehensive, fearful, distressed, nervous, antsy, or on edge.
God knows that we will have a tendency to default to our emotions, so He gives us a better way to handle them. We are to turn our angst into peace, prayer, and thanksgiving. But it takes trust – Total Reliance Upon Spiritual Timing – for that to happen. Really, the question is whether we believe that God hears us and is actively working on our behalf. When we doubt God’s interest and commitment to our lives, we doubt God’s timing. Doubt always opens the door to anxiety, restlessness, and misaligned decisions. However, when we believe that God is supreme and will perfect every single thing that concerns us, we gain the gift of peace that surpasses all understanding. And it is in this place that provision and pathways become uniquely clear.
What has made you anxious lately, and how does that shed light on how you doubt God?
Pray:
Lord, give me a steadfast sense of trust in Your timing. Remove all doubt and replace it with extreme reliance upon You. Amen.
This is an excerpt from 100 Days of Believing Bigger by Marshawn Evans Daniels – a devotional book now available from DaySpring publishing. Learn more about this book, or shop other books & devotionals from DaySpring .
A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up
A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up
By: Maggie Meadows Cooper
“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up.†– Galatians 6:9
I received a letter from a former student a few weeks ago. It made my heart smile because of the precious one it was from. He was a handful. Smart as a whip, but a challenge many days. Listening comprehension, imagination, creativity, math…he knocked it out of the park. But reading and his behavior were another story. He came in tired most days, and I let him nap for short periods when he needed to. His mom worked late at a couple of different jobs, and he said he would wait up for her a lot. Sometimes sleep and a hug are what matter most. I recalled these memories as I read his letter and smiled. But my eyes filled with tears when I read these words, “I appreciate you never giving up on me.â€
Wow. I didn’t. I haven’t. And I won’t. But the truth is, there were a lot of days I might have wanted to. He was not the only challenging student I had in that class.
He was not the only one with not enough sleep, and there were days I was just plain weary. Weary of it all. Teaching all day only to come home to my own kids, husband, housework, cooking, and then more papers to grade later is exhausting.
Every teacher knows what I’m talking about (the stories we could tell). Every mama knows what I’m talking about (yep, stories here too). And honestly, anyone who has ever chosen to keep on believing when everything inside you says it’s time to give up, knows what I’m talking about.
There are students you feel like you will never reach. There are children who, it seems, will never learn to follow directions. There are relationships and jobs and dreams that seem to be dead ends. Sometimes it looks like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
I know all of that. But I also know that the Lord places people and situations and tasks in our lives for His purposes, no matter how challenging. When we seek His will and His plan above our own, sometimes we end up in places we might not necessarily want to be. I know, I’ve been there. But I know He will give us strength to keep pushing anyway, and here are a few reasons why I believe it’s worth it:
1.
There will be a harvest …if we do not give up.
“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up.†– Galatians 6:9
This verse sits on my desk at work and hangs in my home. It is an everyday reminder. When I am tired and frustrated and out of ideas… do not grow weary. When I say I can’t wait one more day because “it’s†never going to happen… at the proper time you will reap a harvest. When I am ready to throw in the towel… if you do not give up.
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A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up – Your Daily Prayer – September 22 2020Sep 22
A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up
By: Maggie Meadows Cooper
“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up.†– Galatians 6:9
I received a letter from a former student a few weeks ago. It made my heart smile because of the precious one it was from. He was a handful. Smart as a whip, but a challenge many days. Listening comprehension, imagination, creativity, math…he knocked it out of the park.
But reading and his behavior were another story. He came in tired most days, and I let him nap for short periods when he needed to. His mom worked late at a couple of different jobs, and he said he would wait up for her a lot. Sometimes sleep and a hug are what matter most. I recalled these memories as I read his letter and smiled. But my eyes filled with tears when I read these words, “I appreciate you never giving up on me.â€
Wow. I didn’t. I haven’t. And I won’t. But the truth is, there were a lot of days I might have wanted to. He was not the only challenging student I had in that class. He was not the only one with not enough sleep, and there were days I was just plain weary. Weary of it all. Teaching all day only to come home to my own kids, husband, housework, cooking, and then more papers to grade later is exhausting.
Every teacher knows what I’m talking about (the stories we could tell). Every mama knows what I’m talking about (yep, stories here too). And honestly, anyone who has ever chosen to keep on believing when everything inside you says it’s time to give up, knows what I’m talking about.
There are students you feel like you will never reach.
There are children who, it seems, will never learn to follow directions. There are relationships and jobs and dreams that seem to be dead ends. Sometimes it looks like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
I know all of that. But I also know that the Lord places people and situations and tasks in our lives for His purposes, no matter how challenging. When we seek His will and His plan above our own, sometimes we end up in places we might not necessarily want to be. I know, I’ve been there. But I know He will give us strength to keep pushing anyway, and here are a few reasons why I believe it’s worth it:
1. There will be a harvest …if we do not give up.
“Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up.†– Galatians 6:9
This verse sits on my desk at work and hangs in my home. It is an everyday reminder. When I am tired and frustrated and out of ideas… do not grow weary. When I say I can’t wait one more day because “it’s†never going to happen… at the proper time you will reap a harvest. When I am ready to throw in the towel… if you do not give up.
We may never get recognition for the time we put in. We may never be noticed and applauded by the crowd. We may never even receive a “thank you†for our efforts. But, there is One who sees us. And He matters most.
2. We are to do everything with all our hearts… for the Lord.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.†– Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do. Teaching, changing diapers, grading papers, cooking dinner, going to work, driving car pool, paying bills, disciplining, whatever it is…do it with all your heart.
And do it for the Lord…not people. That is so stinkin’ hard! Because the Lord isn’t visible. It doesn’t feel like He’s right there beside me all the time. And people…are people. They are selfish and demanding and difficult a lot of times.
But this isn’t really given as a choice. On the days you feel like it. If you have time and it doesn’t interrupt your plans. Nope. As those who love Jesus, we are to work at whatever we do, with all our heart, for the Lord. Period.
3. And most importantly, Jesus hasn’t given up on us… so we shouldn’t give up on others.
“I want to do what is right, but I can’t.I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.†Romans 7:18 , 24-25
I mess up every day. Every. Single. Day. And it’s not looking any better for tomorrow. I want to do what’s right. I want to be like Jesus. But somewhere between my brain and my mouth and my actions and my heart…some signals get crossed. Words come out wrong. My selfish nature takes over. I work for me instead of others. I complain. It is not pretty some days.
But, thanks be to God, there is one who can save me from this life… Jesus. And because He forgives me, loves me, gives mercy and grace to me on my worst of days… I will try my hardest to do the same for others.
Dear Jesus,
I am so weary, and honestly, ready to give up some days. Please place people in my life to encourage me and point me to you as I seek to love others as you do. Help me choose to be hopeful, faithful and persistent in seeking you every day, but especially on the hard days.
Guide my steps and allow me to see that my hard work is not in vain. Help me to give grace and mercy…to myself and others…as you give it freely to me. Thank you for all you have done and all you are going to do.
In Your Mighty Name,
Amen.
https://www.lifeaudio.com/embed/1938
Maggie Meadows Cooper is a wife, mom, educator, author, and blogger with a longing for women to grow a heart for Jesus and others. She is the author of the children’s book “Bumper†and blogs at The Little Moments about what the Lord is teaching her through her children and everyday life. She contributes to Blogs by Christian Women, Devotional Diva, She Disciples, and Connecting Ministries. An educator with a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University (War Eagle!), she has twenty years experience working with young children. She loves all things chocolate, real Coca-Cola, and lives with her husband, three children, and two rambunctious dogs in Opelika, Alabama.
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5 Life Lessons I Wish I’d Learned before 50 Melinda Eye Cooper
Crosswalk.
com Contributing Writer
I learn most life lessons the hard way.
It might also be true for many others. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I could go back and have a do-over. Now that I’ve passed up the big five-o, I’ve finally learned some lessons I wish I’d learned earlier in life.
There are so many wonderful blessings that come from growing older. Hopefully, being a bit wiser is one of them. Once we reach a certain age, we do seem to look back on our lives. We might wish we’d done a few things differently or at least learned some of those tough life lessons sooner and saved ourselves grief.
We can’t go backward but we can move forward in a better way.
Here are five life lessons I learned after 50 that I wish I’d learned earlier:
Photo Credit: © SparrowStock
1. Listen to Your Parents Slide 1 of 5
I learned a hard lesson after 50 about taking time to listen to parents.
As children, we don’t want to listen to them. We think we know everything especially when we’re teenagers. But what they have to say to us is usually tried and true and for our benefit.
Right before Dad became so forgetful in his old age, he wanted to tell me something important.
We were visiting my parents in Missouri, sitting in the living room. There were other conversations going on and their wild, little puppy was jumping all over the place.
I gave Dad my attention and listened to him…but I wasn’t fully engaged. Mostly, because of the cute puppy…but also because of everything else going on in the room.
I was unaware of how serious his forgetfulness actually was because we were living out of state. Nobody knew he had undiagnosed Alzheimer’s at that time.
To my dismay, it was the last important conversation we had. He soon began to forget everything.
I wish so desperately I’d pulled up a chair close beside him and given him my full attention. I wish I would have asked him some questions because it was my last chance to have that type of conversation with my dad.
Lesson learned .
Listening to parents is not just for kids—it’s for grown-ups, too.
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Deuteronomy 5:16
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/gpointstudio
2. Stress Less and Trust More Slide 2 of 5
We will have stress in life, that’s for sure.
But looking back after living over 50 years, I wish I would have stressed less over things.
God does allow stress tests in our lives in various ways. They can come through financial issues, marital problems, or our own rebellious children.
Stress tests are usually about trust. Sometimes they are needed so we recognize we aren’t trusting God in that area of our lives.
I wish I’d trusted God more in those stressful moments of my younger life instead of worrying and losing sleep.
As we grow as Christians, we trust Him more than we did before. We know He’s in control and completely trustworthy.
It would have been best on those restless nights to give it to God and go to sleep.
Do not be anxious about anything , but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
3. Cherish Dear Friends Slide 3 of 5
We’re blessed to have friends as we go through life. We start collecting them when we’re very young. Some friendships are short-lived and some last a lifetime.
Truth is, we may only have a few dear friends. Those people we can count on for anything. They’re there for you in the good times and in the bad times.
You truly enjoy their company and miss them when they’re gone. Unfortunately, we don’t always have as much time with these friends as we’d like.
Last fall we made a trip to Florida and stopped by our dear friend’s new house in Georgia along the way. Then later, they took the short drive to our rented beach house and visited with us. We ended our time together eating dinner at a seafood restaurant and planning a possible trip together in the spring of 2020.
Unfortunately, we were never able to take the trip due to COVID-19 and never got to spend any more time with our dear friends in the way we planned.
Instead, we ended up at a funeral just a few weeks ago. One of them passed away suddenly from a brain bleed.
Of course, we’re devastated at the loss of our dear friend and can’t imagine the world without him. But we’re so thankful we took the time on our vacation to find them along the way and visit with them.
Though we have many wonderful memories with our dear friends, I wish we’d made more. Life is short and dear friends are few. Make memories with them as often as possible.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
– Proverbs 17:17
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
4. Honor God Even When the ‘Creek Rises’ Slide 4 of 5
Growing up Mom said often, “If the good Lord’s willing, and the creek don’t rise.â€
Another hard lesson I learned is sometimes the creek does rise.
Last year, we received a phone call in the middle of the night from our oldest son. Our daughter-in-law was in labor. The problem was she wasn’t due yet. She was twenty-one weeks pregnant with our granddaughter, Nora Jane. They couldn’t stop the labor and Nora made an early entrance into the world.
She was born too soon to go to the NICU and be nurtured until she grew big enough to take home. The hospital staff couldn’t save her.
She lived almost two hours and I was able to hold her while she was still alive. Holding precious little Nora broke my heart. I wanted her to live. I wanted to bounce her on my knee when she was big enough and I wanted to babysit her. I wanted my granddaughter.
But it wasn’t God’s will and we were crushed.
It seemed unfair. We could become angry with God over such a thing. But there’s purpose even when we don’t like it.
We honor God in difficult times by seeking His will in our lives even when it’s hard. Even…when the creek rises.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Halfpoint
5. Enjoy the Ride! Slide 5 of 5
Sometimes, we need to slow down and just enjoy the ride.
We can’t go back and relive 50 years of life but we can make our lives better going forward.
My husband and I decided to make our lives more enjoyable a few years ago. We made a big decision and sold our house and bought a cheaper one. We paid off all of our debt except for our smaller mortgage. Then we bought a used pontoon boat we’d been dreaming of for years.
Our youngest son was growing up fast and the other two had already flown the coop. So, we decided to have more fun while he was still living at home. We’d spent a lot of time working hard just to pay bills and raise our family. It was time for a little more fun.
We’ve never regretted the boat and have enjoyed it thoroughly.
I know not everyone wants a boat. Maybe it’s as simple as taking more hikes in nature. Maybe it’s more days fishing from the banks of a river.
Whatever it is, do things you enjoy as much as possible.
Life is short, but oh how sweet to have a life to live.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:14
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/ChristopherRobbins
Melinda Eye Cooper is an award-winning writer. She grew up in the Missouri Ozarks but lives near Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband have three sons, two daughters-in-law and three beautiful granddaughters—and a spunky dog, Lincoln. Melinda writes articles and devotions. She also writes fiction and is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel. She grew up in a large family and many of her devotions and stories are inspired from her childhood. You can visit her website or follow her on Facebook . If you love an old-fashioned Christmas Novella click here.
10 Reasons I’m So Glad I’m Not Married Alyssa Roat
Contributing Writer
The other day, I was scrolling through social media when I came across two such drastically different posts, I had to laugh.
The first was a post from one of my friends from high school, a picture of her newborn second child.
The second was my own post—an announcement of the upcoming release of my book for teens.
I felt a little silly. She’s married with kids, a proper woman. Meanwhile, I’m over here single with a humor book. I was ashamed for a moment.
Then I stopped to think for a minute. Did I really care what I should be?
I love being single.
Especially as a Christian woman, it often feels like marriage and children are the goal. There’s a sense that if you’re single, something must be wrong with you.
This doesn’t even take into account the larger cultural pressure of what I call “Hallmark philosophy,†based on the plot of so many romance movies on the Hallmark Channel. This is the idea that you can have “everythingâ€â€”fulfilling job, great friends and family, meaningful life—but without that special someone, you’re destined to be unhappy.
I want to speak up for singles who love where we are in life. People are single for a multitude of reasons, so I can only speak for myself, but I consider it a major blessing that I’m not married, and here are 10 reasons why.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Matthew Hamilton
1. I Haven’t Found the Right Person Slide 1 of 4
I’m not a huge proponent of the idea of “soul mates†or “true loves,†but I do know that if God wants me to marry, He’ll let me know.
Since He hasn’t, I’m much happier to remain single than to pursue a relationship He hasn’t called me to.
If I do marry, it will be because of love for that person, not because of a desire for marriage itself as the goal.
Marriage is a serious decision. From the beginning, in Genesis 2:24 , the Bible explains, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.†Mark 10:8 says, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.†Such a drastic union cannot be undertaken lightly.
So I’m content to be single for as long as God wants me to be, because I know that he’ll make it clear when he wants that to change. I’d rather be following God’s plan for my life than literally any other scenario.
2. I Get to Be Independent I’ve never truly been my own person before. My parents were in charge throughout childhood; my Christian college had strict rules and treated us more like children than adults. I love, for the first time, being able to do whatever I please, with only God and my conscience as my guide.
Whatever your views are on the role of women in a marriage, the reality is that a spouse of any gender is tied to the other.
You are accountable to one another for your actions, and you must make decisions together. I love being able to act on the spur of the moment without worrying how it will affect a spouse. I love getting to learn who I am without the context of someone else.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages
3. I Can Travel Slide 2 of 4
For my job (at least, during non-COVID years), I travel all over the country to teach at conferences. I also love going to visit friends or family. With no one depending on me or waiting for me at home, I can grab my suitcase and hit the road.
I don’t need to make sure my schedule works with someone else, figure out the logistics of them coming with me, or feel guilty for leaving them behind. There’s so much freedom I have to see the whole world and have adventures with God. What a gift.
4. I Can Focus on My Family and Friends This leads right into another point. On holidays, I don’t need to worry if we’re going to see his family or mine. I get to focus all my energy on my family, and not feel tugged elsewhere. All the time, concern, and love that might go to a spouse is directed toward my immediate family.
I can spend as much time with my friends as I want.
If I want to stay out late, make an impromptu visit, or if I need to halt everything to care for a friend in need, I can.
Without the time and emotional demands of being a spouse, I can focus on being the best friend, daughter, sister, etc. that I can be. It’s not that you can’t be amazing in these roles when you are married–but it’s certainly more difficult to balance it all.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash
5. I Can Be Financially Independent Slide 3 of 4
It may seem worldly, but I love being completely in charge of my finances. I don’t have to worry if my spouse has spent too much or clear my purchases with someone else. If I have the money in the bank and decide to use it on yet another stack of books, there is nothing to stop me.
I also like the freedom of being randomly generous. When presented with a need, I can buy that meal, donate that money, in the moment. If I want to make sacrifices because I gave away my money, I can do so without worrying how that will affect someone else.
Also, it’s just a fact that money is an incredibly common reason why couples fight. It’s just nice to not have to worry about that extra stress.
6. I’m Free to Follow God’s Call at the Spur of the Moment People who are married of course follow God’s call.
However, there are certain restraints that must be considered when making big decisions like switching jobs, moving, etc. It’s a joint decision, and dreams may be delayed or prohibited because one spouse isn’t in a position for that spontaneity.
Since I’m only responsible for myself, I’m free to take that job offer, make that decision, take that chance. Without someone else to worry about, I can take more risks.
Of course, God wants to put people together who have similar values and dreams. But that doesn’t mean couples don’t have to sacrifice personal dreams or callings, even temporarily, for their marriage . I don’t have to worry about that.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Deagreez
7. I Can Live with Friends Slide 4 of 4
Speaking of moving, being single is a fantastic time to experience the joys of living with friends. It’s so much fun to decorate an apartment together, experience a new city, host gatherings. I’ve been blessed with amazing roommates.
Once you’ve lived with a friend, there’s a special bond that doesn’t fade easily.
Platonic love is often overlooked in our culture, but I’ve discovered living with other women has brought about amazing opportunities to experience the brotherly love talked about in the Bible .
The Bible places a huge emphasis on friends. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends†( John 15:13 ).
8. I Can Focus on My Career Before immediately jumping to 1 Timothy 6:10 and the love of money being the root of all kinds of evil, let me assure you I’m not talking about money here. (If I was looking to live the high life, I made a very poor career choice). However, I have felt God’s call to my career more than I’ve felt called to anything else in my life.
God led me every step of the way into the publishing industry. The books we read influence our minds and hearts, and God called me to this ministry.
Publishing is extremely competitive, and it consumes most of my time, working multiple jobs. I absolutely love it, but my schedule would be unfair to a spouse, let alone kids. As a single, I’m free to spend all of my time on my calling of writing, editing, and working with books.
No one’s career should become their whole life, but I love being able to give it the attention that I want to.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Autri Taheri
Alyssa Roat studied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University.
She is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. , the publicity manager at Mountain Brook Ink , and a freelance editor with Sherpa Editing Services . Her passions for Biblical study and creativity collide in her writing. Her debut novel Wraithwood releases Nov. 7, 2020. She has had 150+ bylines in publications ranging from The Christian Communicator to Keys for Kids. Find out more about her here and on social media @alyssawrote .
Who Taught You How to Date? Kenady Nash
iBelieve Contributor
Be honest, who taught you how to date? My husband, Damien, and I were blessed. We both grew up as preacher’s kids and in a two parent household. However, to be honest with you, we were never sat down and taught formally (or even causally) on how to date God’s way. Yes, even in a preacher’s home! With that being said, we made a lot of mistakes trying to relate to the opposite sex, which led to confusion, sexual trauma, and heartache. Once we totally surrendered our lives and sexuality over to God, we both had a burden to do relationships in a God-honoring way.
After Damien slid into my DM’s on Facebook in February of 2018, ( you have to read the whole story in #CompletelyMarried: Journey to the Altar and Beyond ), we started to talk, eventually date, or what we like to call court, God’s way.
We had to learn how to do that along the way. You might find yourself reading this article and wanting to do relationships God’s way as well, but not sure how to do just that.
If you’ll let me, I’d like to teach you how to date using 3 key principles: in community, in purity, and with intentionality.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/lolostock
Dating in Community If you want to date God’s way, you should do so in community and with accountability. Why? Because we always do better when someone else is watching. Proverbs 27:17 says, “ As iron sharpens iron , so a friend sharpens a friend†(NLT). We are called to encourage each other, sharpen each other, and hold each other accountable in this Christian walk. While dating in the presence of other godly friends, those friends will be able to see red flags that you might not be able to see with your “puppy eyes†when you’re in that “lovey dovey†stage. It’s important to take heed of your friends’ advice and submit to their godly wisdom and correction as brothers and sisters in Christ are supposed to.
I remember in a previous relationship, I ended up sneaking behind my friends’ backs to be around the guy I was dating at the time.
I started the relationship off somewhat in community, but after dating him, my friends started to catch current habits and cycles from him. They warned me and told me that they don’t think I should be with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen and ended up compromising in situations which led to sin, brokenness, and heartache. Thankfully, I learned from my past and was intentional to listen to my girlfriends, who wanted God’s best for me.
Damien not only won the approval of my community, but he also had a community of his own prior to getting in a relationship with me. When we got together, we wasted no time in seeking an accountability couple to mentor us throughout our journey to marriage. We made it a high priority to get them around us immediately so we would not slip and fall. We needed them to teach us how to relate with the opposite sex with purpose and in purity (which we will get into more later) without hurting our walk with Jesus Christ. And guess what, we struck gold !
Besides our wonderful accountability partners, we also had Executive Pastors from Victory Church in Atlanta, Georgia walk alongside us and provide premarital counseling. They used an assessment tool called SYMBIS , which gave us unbelievably accurate insight into our patterns, habits, and personality traits, both the good and not so good.
In our book #CompletelyMarried , we go in deeper on what accountability is, the characteristics of an accountability partner, and what an accountability meeting looks like.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Rawpixel
Dating in Purity In order to honor God in our relationships, we must date in purity. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “ God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.†Sexual sin is nothing new. It was a big issue in biblical times just like it is today. Quite frankly, it’s not just a worldly thing, but many people inside the church are living in sexual sin as well. We as Christians are called to do relationships differently and stand out from the world.
As you read in the beginning, Damien and I have had to work through many things since we did not have a roadmap to date appropriately. One thing we had to seek healing for was with our sexual character. Damien was a virgin before marrying me. I, however, had a sexual past. Even though he was a virgin, he was not always walking in sexual purity, as he had to overcome a porn addiction. It’s not just sex itself that defiles us but anything that helps feed our lust.
Now, I know what you might be thinking.
How can I live in purity if I already had sex before marriage or have been involved in other sexual acts? And that’s a great question. The good thing about God is He can supernaturally make impure things pure again. Purity is achieved only by accepting Jesus into our lives and as our Savior. His sacrifice cleanses us and purifies us from ALL unrighteous ( 1 John 1:9 ). We must accept Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins by repenting (turning away from our sins) and living a life of holy sacrifice. Paul instructs us in Romans 12:1 by saying, “ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. â€
Damien and I no longer wanted to live a life filled with sexual immorality, therefore, we placed boundaries within our relationship to help us honor God with our bodies and date in purity. We set boundaries based on our past mistakes and weaknesses that went beyond just not having sex before marriage. We included rules such as choosing not to go over to each other’s homes and not sending sexual things over the phone, to name a few.
We didn’t want to tempt ourselves because we valued each other and our relationship with God. So, we encourage you to set boundaries in your relationship early, with the help of accountability, and especially to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit to help you date in purity.
Photo Credit: © iStock/Getty Images Plus/ThitareeSarmkasat
Dating with Intentionality Dating God’s way requires intentionality . Though not all dating or courtships lead to marriage, marriage should be the potential goal. Again, we want to be set apart from the world, therefore we must date purposefully and not waste any time. There have been times in my past where I would date others knowing good and well I was not going to marry them and didn’t even have any business being with them in the first place. This only created soul ties and distractions in my life when I should have been focused on strengthening my relationship with God.
The time is up for staying in relationships or ‘situationships’ just to fill a void in our hearts that is only meant for God. We can no longer waste our God-given time. Ephesians 5:16-17 says, “ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.†We have to understand our “why†before we seek a relationship so we can be intentional when looking for our future spouse and not waste time dating random people. So, what is your “why� Why were you created? Besides bringing God glory and joy, what do you believe God has you on this earth for? It’s important to know your purpose in order to have vision for your life. Intentionality means that you have a vision not only for your life but for your relationship.
Damien and I both knew our purpose and had vision for our lives before getting into a relationship. It made it that much more purposeful and peaceful once we got into a relationship. We were able to create a vision for our relationship that lined up with the vision God gave us for our lives, individually.
The question we want you to ask yourself and your significant other is, how can I better serve the Lord if I marry you? Godly marriages aren’t a distraction if there is godly vision. So be sure to date with intentionality so that you can potentially have a purposeful, kingdom marriage.
I hope you find these three principles beneficial in helping you learn how to date God’s way.
May God bless you as you honor Him in all you do.
A Helpful Resource That Bridges the Gap between Dating and Marriage:
Is having a godly marriage truly attainable even in the 21st Century? Can you really have a God-honoring dating relationship while seeking purity all the way to the altar and beyond? You sure can! Damien and Kenady Nash want to decrease the divorce rate in the world before they leave this earth. They have co-authored their first book and created a virtual online course together called, #CompletelyMarried: Journey to the Altar and Beyond , which educates and empowers individuals using scripture as a blueprint to close the gap between dating and marriage. #CompletelyMarried is a unique and powerful resource chock-full of biblical truth intermixed with humorous anecdotes and real world experiences that will surely help you have the best start right from the start.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/PeopleImages
Kenady Nash is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian in the state of Georgia specializing in nutrition counsel. She and her husband, Damien Nash, are also authors, well-regarded social media personalities, and public speakers in the areas of intentional dating, marriage, and purity.
Their book, #CompletelyMarried: Journey to the Altar and Beyond is available on Amazon. Damien and Kenady believe their purpose is to help people become healthy individuals and cultivate healthy relationships. Their YouTube Channel: “ Damien and Kenady †is used to deliver FREE content that supports this passion. You can connect with them via www.damienandkenady.com .
fighting dragons? In this world you will have trouble. — John 16:33
Depression: Fighting Dragons by Jim Burgen from No More Dragons
Being the Hunted
What did Jesus call people who were attacked by dragons, regardless of the righteous way they were conducting their lives?
Jesus called these people normal.
Jesus made a few promises about what would happen to us, regardless of our faith. Here is what Jesus promised those who love Him the most:
In this world you will have trouble. — John 16:33
Jesus didn’t say, “In this world, there is a slight chance that you will go through hard times.†Jesus didn’t say, “If you don’t have enough faith, you will have trouble.†Jesus didn’t say, “If you go to church, stop cussing, don’t drink too much, and always keep your promises, then you won’t have any trouble.
†Instead, Jesus said that trouble will hunt you.
Period.
If you are alive and breathing, you will have trouble in this world. Either you will hunt the dragon, or the dragon will hunt you. There is no escaping it.
Jesus had every right to make this statement. Jesus believed all the right things, and He had stronger faith and loved God more than you and I will ever be able to. Still, soon after making this statement, Jesus was arrested and nailed to a cross.
Faith, belief, and love do not buffer or barricade your life from trouble and hardship. In fact, sometimes it feels like having faith and doing the right things can attract trouble.
I want to address the dragon that I most often see hunting the people around me: depression. This includes both the deep blues anyone can feel and the diagnosable imbalance that plagues so many. No one asks for this dragon, but he swallows up many people regardless. This dragon is big, heavy, overwhelming, and he has the potential to crush, suffocate, and swallow you up. This dragon doesn’t create bad days or bad weeks. He creates bad childhoods, bad decades, and bad lives. On and on, day after day, year after year, this dragon causes pain with no relief in sight.
Remember that overwhelmingly sad feeling when you learned that someone you loved died? Remember the guilt and embarrassment you felt after your biggest failure was exposed? Remember facing the biggest problem in your life and thinking that it was impossible to fix?
Remember that time, as a little kid, when someone held you under the swimming pool too long, and you thought you were going to drown? Roll all of those emotions into one, carry them around with you every day from the time you wake up until the time you fall asleep, and you will begin to understand the dragon of depression.
When you experience the dragon of depression, your entire world is seen only through the lens of sadness, hopelessness, mourning, loss, emptiness, grief, pain, anger, frustration, guilt, and death. Death is always there, looming and lurking: “I can’t live another minute like this. Death has to be better than this. The people around me would be better off if I wasn’t here to hurt them. I can’t do this anymore. This is never going to get any better.â€
The dragon of depression is a cyclical prison cell. It’s like a dog chasing its own tail: “I am depressed. Because I’m depressed, I can’t do what I need to do.
This makes me feel like a failure. That makes me depressed. Because I’m depressed, I can’t do what I need to do. This makes me feel like a failure. That makes me depressed.â€
David, the famous king from the Bible, knew these feelings well:
Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims Your name. Who praises You from the grave? I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
— Psalm 6:2-6
How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. — Psalm 13:1-3
King David wasn’t alone, and you aren’t either. This might surprise some readers, but Jesus understands what depression feels like. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Jesus was arrested, He experienced the height of His depression:
Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch with Me.†Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.â€
— Matthew 26:38-39
If you read Hebrews 4:15, it is clear that Jesus had been tempted in every way that we are, yet He walked through those temptations without sinning. But somewhere along the way, it seems some biblical scholar or translator decided “depression†was no longer included in the long list of ways that Jesus was tempted.
In my opinion, it’s tough to read, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death†without concluding that Jesus was struggling with depression. Jesus essentially said, “I’ve been swallowed up to the core of My being with sorrow. The suffocating weight of My sadness is about to crush My life.†Elsewhere, the Bible says this about Jesus’ time in the garden:
Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. — Luke 22:44
There is a medical condition (hematidrosis) brought on by extreme emotional anguish, strain, and stress during which the capillaries in the skin rupture, allowing blood to flow out of a person’s sweat pores.
So for hours, alone in a dark corner of a remote garden, Jesus fell down, curled up on the ground, cried, and prayed so intensely for deliverance from His circumstances that the blood vessels burst inside His skin. You can call it whatever you want, but to me it looks like emotional depression.
Jesus understood, and still understands, depression.
Weeks before Jesus was in the garden, He came face-to-face with everything I’ve just described.
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. — Mark 5:1-5
Depression can be caused by many different things. In this guy’s case, depression was caused by satanic attack or demonic oppression. The man in this story was possessed by many demons. If you’re anything like me, you immediately think of The Exorcist or some sci-fi movie, but the reality is that, all through the Bible, we read descriptions of battles being fought in the spiritual realm.
The New Testament teaches that while a Christian cannot be possessed by Satan or one of his demons, he can be oppressed.
Satan continues to wage war against Christians by attacking or tempting us.
Depression can also be caused by guilt. Sometimes the weight of our downfalls and sins can cause us to grieve and mourn to the point of depression. That’s one of the reasons King David was depressed. He had just been convicted of adultery and murder, and his child was about to die. He used phrases like, “My bones wasted away… my strength was sapped… Do not forsake me, my God… My heart has turned to wax… my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth…
Troubles without number surround me†(Psalm 32:3-4, Psalm 71:18, Psalm22:14-15, Psalm 40:12).
The apostle Peter understood depression after he denied knowing Jesus. After his sin of denying Jesus, Peter wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75). Judas understood depression after he betrayed Jesus to his death. When the weight and guilt of what he had done finally hit him, Judas decided that committing suicide was the only way out of the belly of the dragon in which he found himself swallowed (Matthew 27:1-5).
Depression can also be caused by the difficult circumstances of our lives.
Life can get so hard that it makes us depressed, and that’s what Jesus was feeling in the Garden of Gethsemane. He understood why He needed to be sacrificed. He even knew the wonderful outcome that would result from His torture and death. Yet even though Jesus knew that the next few days would ultimately become the most wonderful event ever to occur in the history of the universe, the thought of them still caused Him to collapse to the ground, curl up, and cry until blood seeped from His pores.
Depression can also be the result of a physical illness. Sometimes the circumstances of our bodies can cause us to become depressed. I’m not talking about body image issues causing someone to become depressed (although that happens often). I’m talking about synapses misfiring and chemicals becoming imbalanced. I’m talking about diseases within our bodies. This can be the most difficult cause of depression to wrestle with because you can’t quite put your finger on the reason you are suffering.
You’re simply suffering. More on this in a minute.
Regardless of the cause of depression, one factor remains constant: depression always centers on death and pain.
Depression is about death. The naked guy on the beach in Mark 5 lived in a cemetery. When you feel dead inside, you begin to dwell on the things of death, and eventually that place becomes your home. Depression is also about pain. The man would cry out and cut himself with razorsharp stones.
Depression has many causes, it revolves around death and pain, and it has no easy fixes.
Let’s continue with the story about the naked man on the beach:
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!†For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!†Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?†“My name is Legion,†he replied, “for we are many.â€
— Mark 5:6-9
Later in this story, Jesus sends the spirits away and heals the man. That’s when the crowd shows up:
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. — Mark 5:15
Jesus is bigger, stronger, and Most High over everything.
In the story about the naked man at the beach, the demon of depression recognized and yielded to the authority of Jesus. Jesus is bigger than depression. Whether you personally hunted down your dragon or it stalked and ambushed you, Jesus can set you free again.Excerpted with permission from No More Dragons: Get Free From Broken Dreams, Lost Hope, Bad Religion, And Other Monsters by Jim Burgen, copyright Thomas Nelson, 2014.
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. . . . Your Turn
In my years-long battle with depression, I so relate with being the hunted. That’s exactly what it felt like. The enemy also heaped truckloads of shame onto my head for being so heart, mind and spirit-crushed. As a Pastor’s Kid, you shouldn’t struggle with depression – shame. As a Jesus follower and daughter of the King, how can you not have victory over this black hole? – shame. As a mother you are surely doing your five kids a disservice by this battle – shame. But, Jesus met me there and loved me right where I was and slowly but surely led me (and is still leading me!) out of that deep, dark well. And He can do it for you, too. If you’re battling depression, Jesus understands and has such great empathy.
He’s been there. And, He loves you so much. Today, bring it to Him again. ~ Laurie McClure, Devotionals Daily
God is With Us Even in the Most Difficult Places RevelationMedia
“God will judge us not according to how much we endured, but how much we could love.â€â€•Richard Wurmbrand
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.†-Luke 6:27–28 [ESV]
In Pastor Wurmbrand’s own words, he recounts the story of how he stood up for Christ in the face of communism:
“ Russian communist officials invited thousands of religious leaders to a meeting in the Parliament building. Muslim mullahs, Jewish rabbis, and Christian pastors crowded into the great hall.
“ My wife, Sabina, and I joined them. Top communists sat on a stage with a huge picture of Joseph Stalin behind them.
“ The audience applauded the communists ’ statements, which were broadcast to the whole nation by radio. ‘ We want to be friends with church leaders !’ the communists claimed. The crowd cheered. One pastor got up and said, ‘ You can count on us!’ Another Christian said, ‘ Christianity and communism have a lot in common.
Both believe in bringing about justice. We can work together!’
“One leader after another rose to give their comments in support of the Russians. Sabina couldn’t stand it any longer. ‘ Richard, ’ she said, ‘ please stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ. They are spitting in His face. ’
“‘If I stand up for Christ, you will lose your husband,’ I answered.
“‘I don’t need a husband who is a coward,’ she said. I raised my hand to speak.
“‘It is our duty to glorify God and Christ,’ I said when I reached the microphone. ‘We must first be loyal to Christ, not to earthly leaders. He is the one who died for us on the cross.’
“It is our duty to glorify God and Christ,’ I said when I reached the microphone. ‘We must first be loyal to Christ, not to earthly leaders. He is the one who died for us on the cross.â€
“The people in the crowd seemed to suddenly wake up. A few began to clap. Many began to cheer, ‘Pastor! Pastor!’â€
“‘Your right to speak is withdrawn!’ shouted a communist leader. ‘Cut the microphone!’ But the crowed cheered so loudly no one could hear him.
Finally the wires to the microphone were cut. The shouting and clapping continued. Sabina and I made our way out of the hall through the noise and confusion. ‘I have a powerful Savior. He’ll do what is best for me,’ I said.
“Later, the communists made me suffer for what I did at that meeting, but it was worth it.â€
Richard spent a total of 14 years in prison, and his wife endured three harsh years in a prison labor camp. While in prison, Richard was tortured and abused by his captors. But he continued to compose sermons, memorize them, and preach them from his cell. He also used Morse code to communicate God’s love to the other prisoners, tapping messages on the walls between their cells. After his release, he was able to write down 350 sermons that he remembered from his time there.
Richard was a man who lived his life seeking to love other people well. Even when betrayed by a younger pastor from his underground congregation, and subsequently being thrown in prison, he still forgave and extended love. Richard never gave up hope that God would take care of him. We can learn from Richard that no matter what we endure in this life, God will be with us, and because of God’s ever-present forgiveness and love toward us, we can extend forgiveness to people even when they do evil toward us.
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Daily Devotion The Bible – Our Textbook
“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.†– 2 Timothy 3: 16
Dear Lord, there are people in the world without access to Your Word. May I not take my Bible for granted. Help me devour Your Word and search it daily for answers to the problems I face.
Amen
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