Skip to main content

Facing the Abuser

Shelley Hundley suffered abuse at the hands of a minister in the community, which turned her away from the faith and made her become an atheist – believing that the pain she suffered was proof of atheism. An encounter with Jesus Christ changed her life and gave her freedom to forgive and meet face to with her abuser:
As we sat down, I told him I forgave him for the specific wrongs he committed against me. Then I placed my hand on his shoulder and began to pray for God’s blessing on him. I spoke with my whole heart, “Jesus’s blood is enough for everything you have done to me and to others. I speak that over you as one of the ones you harmed. His blood is enough!” I felt such a heavy burden lift from my heart, and my countenance lit up with joy, I remember asking him, “Can I wash your feet?” I had to ask him twice because it was so shocking for him to hear that from me. He nodded and looked baffled as I ran to the bathroom and came back with a basin of water and a towel. I felt so much joy and exhilaration. I remember thinking, “These are the most beautiful feet I have ever seen!” Jesus’s love had made my abuser’s feet beautiful. I hope to have many glorious moments with Jesus in this life, but if I see the dead raised or millions come to salvation, I doubt it will feel any more precious to me than the moment I washed the feet of the person who hurt me the most. I looked up to heaven with an expression on my face that only my Father could fully read. Only He could know the magnitude of that moment when my heart was free to display the mercy of Jesus.
From A Cry for Justice: Overcome anger, reject bitterness, and trust in Jesus who will fight for you by Shelley Hendley. When our hearts are set free by God and we begin to see ourselves through the lense of grace, we begin to see our abusers from a different vantage point. Pain is now seen through different light. As she observes in her book, "Rather than disqualifying us from intimacy with God, pain escorts us into it". It is a remarkable picture of pain - an "escort". 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers for Your Joy (A Review)

Workers for your Joy (WFYJ) is about what Christ calls leaders in his church to be and do, particularly the teaching office in the church (i.e. pastor or elder).  It presents a biblical vision of leadership by going through the fifteen qualifications of elders listed 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The central question Mathis is basically asking is – how should we pastor or lead the church in light of these qualifications? The target audience of the book seems to be those who are in the early stages of pastoral ministry. The book was part of the seminary syllabus at Bethlehem. However, the author does explicitly state that the book is also meant to be of use to church members in considering what Christ expects of leadership in the local church.   Mathis has written this book because he believes leadership has fallen on hard times. The church in the west and the society around us has become increasingly discontent with being led due to the high-profile cases that have sprung about leadership.
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →

The Price of Obedience

If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people’s plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it—“You call this Christianity?” We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be. - OSWALD CHAMBERS This is by far the hardest thing we are likely to struggle with as we seek to live lives that are totally surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. What if obeying God meant that your family members lost a well-known or well-loved circle of acquaintances? Had to move to a smaller house? Drove uglier cars? Wore older clothes? Lived by a weekly rather monthly budget?Accepting this part of obeying God is especially difficult for men or women who are the breadwinners for their families. The c
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →

What is the best preparation for preaching?

The best preparation is not to be too anxious about it. Anxious care hinders liveliness and efficacy. It leads to too little dependence on the Spirit. Be not didactic. Aim at the conscience as soldiers aim at the faces. Consider I may be preaching my last sermon. This leads to setting forth Christ as The Way, the Truth and the Life . .. Make Christ the prominent figure…Pay less attention to dear self. JOHN NEWTON
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →