True Forgiveness........

I have a friend, she is such a blessing to everyone around her. She has been re-sharing her and her husbands testimony with me lately. Just like reading the word, every time you do, you see something new, even though you have read it before. That is usually because we are growing and are at a new place in life, different circumstances etc. As my friend has been sharing different stories and events that took place in their life, their marriage, that brought them to the place they are now, God has truly been opening up my understanding and shining light and encouragment.

I met this friend several years ago when she was invited to church by some other people that I knew. At the time, she and her husband were separated. She got saved at our church and began to walk with the Lord with a passion. She began to pray for her husband who was not saved, and had actually left her for another woman. She had prayed and asked God to bring him home if that was His will, and if not, she knew God would take care of her and her 3 sons somehow. So many details I could share with you, but for the sake of time I won't. Divine appointments, things happening that were miracles because they weren't supposed to happen, etc. At one point, when God brought them back together, her husband called because God had been talking to him and working with him as well. He told his wife, "I have to share some things with you that I have done and you probably are never going to want to have anything to do with me again". She told him, "Who am I to not forgive you, when Jesus already forgave you and me of our sins. Who am I to not allow you to come home when I prayed and asked God to bring you home".

The rest is history, they are serving God together, great witnesses for Him and give their testimony to everyone. They are getting ready to teach a class at their church and God has not only restored them, but like Job, double what they ever had together before. Here is what really jumped out at me and touched my heart and gave me a greater understanding of forgiveness than ever before, God's kind of forgiveness. My friend looked at me after she had shared many of these stories and testimonies about her and her husband and where God has brought them to, she said "True Forgiveness is refusing to ever bring up the past again".

When God brought them back together, they took one opportunity, they talked about what had happened, talked through it, prayed over it, forgave and put it under the blood of Jesus forever. That is the only way the enemy can not use your past against you. I have always been a very forgiving person, but this totally blessed me and took me to a new level when my friend shared this with me. I see the end results, have seen them for several years. I know the testimony, God is a forgiving God and if we are truly being Followers of Christ, who are we to walk in unforgiveness? True Restoration and Reconciliation are manifested through true forgiveness.

Pastor Dave was talking about this on Sunday concerning he and his wife Christy. He said "Marriage is work, don't kid yourself. Your mate will be the person that can take you to the highest high, the mountain top, like no other person in the world can; but, by the same token, they are also the person that can push those buttons quicker than anyone else in the world and make you madder than anything. That is real life, and it is truly work, but it is so worth it". Both my friends and my Pastors have learned to work at it the way God says work at it and they have reaped the wonderful benefits of a blessed, healthy marriage and ministry together for the Lord.........which is my heart. Now my Pastors' who are both 40, are going to have their second child, she is pregnant now, and they have been praying and believing God for that for 11 years! So God's timing is not ours, but He is ALWAYS faithful, usually last minute, but always on time!

I just wanted to share, this really impacted me and touched my heart. May we all walk in true forgiveness, the world will become a different and better place because of it. I love you all...............TAM