Forgiveness

Try and imagine the personal horror I was put through yesterday afternoon; my estranged daughter turned on me and in a stroke of what I am assuming was brilliance on Satan's part - went for the gold ring - to use her to terminate my ministry to youth. Who knows more about me than her? Whom would be listened to more than her? Whom could cause me the most damage than her?

Only Satan's intent went sideways because I serve a living God, not the God of this earth whom has turned my daughter against me. And his evil, her evil intent, went sideways and God was glorified.

And as I thought on this last night, this song came to mind. The Newsboys, not what exists today, are my favorite group. I knew each of them when their ministry was starting out and for their first few years. Doubt they remember me by name but so what. In 1992 they recorded this song and it is so appropriate to what just happened in my life!

So, for my daughter, Dear Shame by the Newsboys.....



We all live with our personal shames. I have a past that I am not proud of in the least. Yeah, it makes for funny stories during classes, but the tragedy of that past is the number of people I harmed physically for life. Then there was the one man whom trusted me and I betrayed that trust. No, I was not even remotely close to being a Christian; I hated God, I hated the stupid Christians, I was in agony on the inside. God won me in the end because I violated my own creed of honor - God's definition of sin was not what brought me to the cross - it was my own dishonor.

And God put that past behind me; I could now stand before Him and KNOW my shame was covered by His blood. Those I betrayed, I could never witness to - the betrayal that personal. Those I harmed physically, there was no way to restore what I had taken from them. Yeah, self defense is always a good excuse, and maybe they deserved what they got, but in God's economy - they needed His blood as badly as I did. My shame.....

You too can know forgiveness, you too can know the end to your shame, you too are loved dear daughter.