Not Forsaken

This week I am linking up with SheReadsTruthcom for #SheSharesTruth. Every Monday during Lent, SheReadsTruth assigns a portion of Scripture to study and write about. And today is the day we share what we’ve learned by writing in our own spaces and linking to that here. This weeks assignment was: Psalm 38.


Feeling separated from God can be painful - spiritually, emotionally, even physically.

It can feel oppressive. Overwhelming. Heavy. Consuming. Leaving you full of guilt or shame.

You may feel lost. Abandoned. Rejected. Alone. Hopeless.  Despised.

But there is hope! No matter how far away God seems at the time, you can turn back to him.  You can confess the sins that trouble you. (v.18).

The Lord is waiting patiently.  Waiting for you to turn back to Him. To seek Him out.

Just as David cries out to God in verses 21 - 22; you can try out to the Lord also.

"Lord, do not forsake me, do not be far from me, my God.  Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior"

He is waiting with open arms to welcome you.

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Past The Doubt

There is faith which is inherited.  Knowing what you know and believing it because it is what you have always been told and shown examples of in life.  When you just believe what you know to be true without question.

Then there is faith born from doubt.  When you have asked the questions.  You have done the searching in the dark and have found the light.

I believe it's not unusual to have questions or to doubt.  We wonder if God cares about us.  We question if we have strayed to far to find our way back to Him.  We doubt His love.  We doubt His grace.  We may even doubt His very existence.

The Man of the House and I both grew up Catholic.  As a young couple identifying ourselves as Catholic, we did all the things we were supposed to do.  We got married in the church.  We attended Mass almost every week and on holy days.  We took communion.  We baptized our children. Sure, there were a few things in the church's teaching which we didn't 100% agree with, but nothing we couldn't live with.

But over time the doubts began to grow. I found myself wondering what (if anything) I did believe.

We stopped going to Mass and attended different churches here and there.  Over time, we became complacent about finding a church and grew fond of our lazy Sundays filled with sleeping in and spending all morning on the couch.  I stopped searching for God's will and began following my own path.

But at some point you look around and realize that what you are doing just isn't working.  You see exactly how far away that path has led you from God and exactly how lost you really are.  You come to the end of yourself and cry out for help.

The good news is that God is always there - loving you and patiently waiting for you to return to Him.  Not to condemn you, but to forgive.  To comfort you.  To give you strength.   To light the path and show you the way.

It's not about the church you attend.  It's not about doing certain things or following some set of man-made rules.  It's not about you at all.  It's about His mercy and grace.  It's about what Christ did up on the cross for each of us.  It's about God's love and greatness.

When you realize that He has the answers you have been looking for; that is the moment you see the light and find your way out of the darkness.  That is where you move past the doubt and find your faith.

My Love Dare: Day 25

“What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ.” ~ 2 Corinthians 2:10

Day 25: Love forgives

Unforgiveness is like a prison. But not a prison for those who have hurt us. Not a prison for those who have wronged us. Not a prison for those who have wronged us. The only one held captive by our failure to forgive – is us. We are trapped by the bitterness and anger we hold onto.

Freedom is within our reach. We just have to let go of the hate, the pain, the anger, and offer forgiveness.

We may feel the person doesn’t deserve forgiveness. We may feel they owe us an apology. We may think they need to pay for what they have done. We don’t want to let them off the hook.

Forgiveness isn’t about absolution of blame.

It isn’t about leaving yourself open to more hurt.

It isn’t about forgetting what happened or pretending it didn’t hurt us.

It’s not about winning or losing.

It is about letting go. Letting go of the anger and the responsibility of judgment and making someone pay – and releasing it to God.

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ Says the Lord.” ~ Romans 12:19

TODAY’S DARE: WHATEVER YOU HAVEN’T FORGIVEN OF YOUR MATE, FORGIVE IT TODAY. LET IT GO. JUST AS WE ASK JESUS TO “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS” EACH DAY, WE MUST ASK HIM TO HELP US “FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS” EACH DAY AS WELL. UNFORGIVENESS HAS BEEN KEEPING YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE IN PRISON TOO LONG. SAY FROM YOUR HEART, “I CHOOSE TO FORGIVE.”

I thought and thought about today's dare - and honestly could not come up with a single thing! Not one tiny hurt for which I need to forgive the man of the house. 

I did pray for God to examine my heart and show me any areas where I might be harboring some anger or bitterness and to give me a forgiving heart.

What I Deserve

Ever thought about how you really deserve something?  Maybe you've worked hard for it.  Maybe you've been having a rough time.  Maybe you've accomplished some big goal you set for yourself. 

Ever found yourself saying some form of this prayer - "God, please do this for me.  I deserve it because..."?

But do we really want God to give us what we deserve?

Oh, the nice things... sure.  But what about all the punishment for the sins against Him?  Everything that was heaped onto Jesus at the time of His crucifixion and death? That's what we really "deserve".  But instead, He took everything we deserve onto Himself so that we could receive the gifts: 

Grace, Love, Eternal life

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8