Founders Note: Hello Ladies! Today on the blog we have our new friend, and monthly contributor Vanessa Page! We're so excited to have her and we hope that you will find her words and life experiences as helpful to your hearts as they have been to are own.
To find out more about Vanessa you can visit her blog A Journey To God.
One thing I’ve
learned after being married for 17 years is that God has written on my heart
that love and mercy must abound deeply in a marriage. When I got married, I had
it in my head that I should right every wrong and ensure that justice was
served each time my husband hurt me…whether he meant to or not. Over the years
I’ve been the Queen of “remember when you…” This has been a shameful way to
live with someone.
Recently my husband and I had a
quarrel. We were both wrong, but I felt very hurt. While in my pain, I heard God say to me, “Sing to me!” I
thought, “How can I possibly sing, I am hurting.” So I turned on my radio and
playing was “Before the Throne of God” by Shane and Shane. I began to sing
along, claiming the lyrics, “My name is graven on His hands, my name is written
on His heart.” I felt so incredibly loved in that moment.
When my husband came back to me
and asked that I forgive him, I heard God say, “Forgive him.” Then gently he
had to whisper again, “Because I forgave you every time you turned your back on
me, you asked to return and I welcomed you, renaming you Mercy.” My heart in that moment burst wide open
for my husband, for my marriage, and for the love I had for my God. I knew that
for now on I would no longer withhold forgiveness.
This lesson in love and mercy has
trickled and flowed into my work life, my parenting, across my friendships, and
to those I meet each day. I am reminded that our battle is not with flesh and
blood, it’s spiritual. The enemy would love nothing more than to destroy our
relationships with each other, but Jesus has modeled a different way. In the
face of mockers, such as me, He shows nothing but forgiveness and love, even
unto death.
Is there anyone in your life that
you haven’t forgiven? Someone that perhaps hasn’t asked for forgiveness but you
carry around that hurt like a yolk too heavy to move? Let me encourage you,
dear ones, forgive them and don’t look back. You will never regret mercy. I
promise you that, and so does your Savior.
Let’s work to hide these words in our heart:
12 We’re not waging war against
enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against
authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the
darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in
heavenly places.
13 Put up with one another.
Forgive. Pardon any offenses against one another, as the Lord has pardoned you,
because you should act in kind.
thank you so much for this encouragement! withholding forgiveness is something i'm working through right now & the bitterness that evolves from that is just really weighty! thanks for this truth!
ReplyDeleteI tend to forgive quickly but I struggle with forgetting/bitterness too- so I guess that's not true forgiveness but with strings. Thank you for such honesty.
ReplyDeleteThank you SO very much Vanessa for sharing your heart! Glad to have you here :)
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