| When I was a child my daddy would come home from a long day’s work. I would run to greet him, squealing happily. I would wrap my arms around his legs. He would scoop me up and carry me to a chair where I would sit on his lap. He would ask me, “How much do you love me?” “A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck,” was my reply always. My small arms would circle around his neck as if to capture his love for me. I was Daddy’s girl and my dad was a giant to me. I don’t remember when I became too big to sit on his lap but I do remember seeing the alcohol. I remember hearing the fights that followed. Over time the pride became shame, and admiration turned to intolerance. I received Christ at the age of twenty-five but the past didn’t just go away, that came more gradually over time. Little by little the Lord worked on my heart. Forgiveness and healing. What seemed the hardest was retraining my thinking and behavior from the lies I believed. Praise God for His mercy. God is so faithful. Before my daddy passed, he came to know the Lord. We spent some wonderful time together and when he passed it was in the loving embrace of His Heavenly Father. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 says… “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man,I put away childish things. It’s easy to understand the need to de-clutter the unused toys, or games from our childhood but what about misconceptions and grudges. How about old hurts and wounds, even trauma that has imprisoned our hearts. Hanging onto them all this time hasn’t brought relief. In Mark 11:26 declares unless we forgive we will not be forgiven. Our forgiveness depends on us forgiving those who have wronged us. It may seem unfair but forgiveness is for you. In forgiving we release what was done to us. It doesn’t change them, it changes us. Forgive. Release the blame, anger, hate, betrayal, judgement and your rights to them. Release them to your loving Heavenly Father. He knows what to do with them. Allow the Lord to heal the old wounds. Ask for help. You are not alone. You are part of a community of believers, a part of the family of God. Do you ever feel as though your past is present? I would love to hear what the Lord is speaking to you today. Feel free to e leave a comment below or email me at [email protected] Rev. Denise Much |
