Looking back, grief should have been obvious, but its face stayed hidden from me as I struggled to forgive my offender. I did not realize that the first step towards forgiveness was to grieve over what had happened. In fact, I didn't realize that I was grieving until I was months into the struggle. Why we often miss grief as the first step in forgiving others: Who willingly signs up … [Read more...] about How To Acknowledge Your Grief First To Forgive Your Offender
Forgiveness
The Dark Night of the Soul
Why does God allow seasons in life where all we seem to sense is darkness? Gone are the days of easily finding His presence and comfort. Have you been there, my friend? Are you there right now? My husband and I have just come out of nine months of unemployment. Our sham of security wrapped up in Rob's job was shattered when his boss called him into his office and told him he could … [Read more...] about The Dark Night of the Soul
The Power of Mercy
One of the greatest struggles I believe we wrestle through is one of the most difficult commands Jesus Christ gave us regarding those who have hurt us: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 That doesn't seem fair when they … [Read more...] about The Power of Mercy
What I Didn’t Realize About Forgiveness
Biblical forgiveness... What is it and what does it look like? I have rarely struggled with any concept more than this one. I believed that if I forgave someone, I was condoning their wrong actions against me. That I was saying what they did was ok. My heart rebelled at the lack of justice I felt that the person who had wronged me would get off "scott free." Yet, I was the one who was in the … [Read more...] about What I Didn’t Realize About Forgiveness
Encountering the Healing Power of Forgiveness Intro
Please take a minute and twelve seconds to hear me talk about my Bible study, Encountering the Healing Power of Forgiveness. Blessings!Encountering the Healing Power of Forgiveness from Shawn Lantz on Vimeo. … [Read more...] about Encountering the Healing Power of Forgiveness Intro
The Dark Night of the Soul
EHPF: Session Five: The Dark Night of the Soul from Shawn Lantz on Vimeo.But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night...'" Job 35:10I grew up in Congo on a remote bush mission station. The only running water we had was in the water in the tin bucket in our hand as we ran up the hill from our twenty-acre lake. Nothing happened when I flipped my room light switch on … [Read more...] about The Dark Night of the Soul
