What does it look like to have an honest conversation with God?
What does it look like to have an honest conversation with God? Is it tidy? Practiced? Put together? Messy? Raw? Vulnerable? Angry? What fuels the conversation and gives it stealth and meaning?
So often, we believe we must come to Jesus with pretty prayers, pretty thoughts, and pretty ways to get ourselves out of messy situations. But can a flawed human in a messy situation truly unravel a beautiful future on their own?
Nope.
And such is the humbling truth of Lysa Terkeurst's book, Forgiving What You Can't Forget. Chapter 3 dives into Lysa's discovery that though she can't control those who hurt her, she can control how her heart sees and strives after forgiveness. And if she willingly owns that it will be a messy, gritty journey, she can proceed with God's grace.
That grace is where we find peace that doesn't necessarily squash all chaos, but it calms the madness so God's soft voice is what we hear loudest. Unfortunately, we are subject to the realities of a fallen world, and while we can never poof away hard times, ugly memories, and bad diagnoses, we can find the voice of God in the midst of it all. We can find healing, the sort of healing that gives meaning to what we have been through and allows someone else to find grace and healing too. It's easy to forget that the Gospel is a communal calling; it beckons us to a refinement that not only shapes us to be more like Christ but invites others to do the same.
Such is our ultimate calling.
I hope you'll join us next week for Chapter 4.
Grab your copy of Lysa's book, Forgiving What You Can't Forget, today!
As always, don't forget to subscribe to our iBelieve YouTube channel, where you will be the first to receive all updates on new posts and live videos. In addition, if you have any questions you don't feel comfortable navigating on the public YouTube comment section, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram through my page, @peytonmgarland.
I can't wait to chat with you soon.
See you next week!
—PG
Photo Credit: ©SWN
