God Saves Us From Ourselves

9/22/23

Hi Glorious Person!

Did you ever do something where you didn’t think of the potential negative consequences, and then later realized you missed obvious red flags? How did you get yourself out of the mess? 

I’m taking a Zoom ‘master class’ for speaking offered through ‘Speak Up! Ministries’. Week by week we’re building our keynote talks. Lord knows I still have plenty to work on! I also received much positive feedback and one of the most encouraging comments after reading this week’s assignment to the group, which was about the abusive marriage. 

A group mate said: “Many people do what you’re doing as a way for healing themselves (and that’s ok), but you speak as one who has healed, and that gives so much hope to those who haven’t yet.”

Hal-le-lu-jah! 

Does God save us from ourselves?

You betchya!

Sometimes our world is rocked because of our own doing. But thank God, He doesn’t hold us to a lifetime sentence due to bad choices. He will make a way through the wilderness if we ask and then do what He leads us to . . .

When I got married on my 29th birthday, I walked down the aisle with a broken nose that was inflicted by the male waiting for me at the altar.

It wasn’t a ‘beating’ so I chose to believe it was an accident even though he’d smirk when I’d say that, and when talking about the ‘accident’ with his mother she told me sometimes a woman deserved to be hit.

Some might say I got what I asked for being an adult and all, and going ahead with the marriage in intentional ignorance. 

But hallelujah, God saw it differently . . .  

After a couple of years of threats and intimidation, abuse of pets, demoralizing comments that included the cliches of ‘no one else would ever want you’, or its counterpart, ’if you leave it’ll be the last thing you ever do’, I was feeling trapped. 

The only thing I could think to do was pray.

Turns out, that was the wisest thing to do . . .

It eventually occurred to me that in my heart more so than conscious, I was hearing a gentle voice repeatedly telling me to ‘get a Bible’.

I had gone to church regularly for most of my life and at times had a fairly decent faith, but it never occurred to me to get my very own Bible!

So, per usual for me (and a testament to God’s persistent patience!) I argued with that still small voice for several weeks before it finally occurred to me to JUST DO IT Already!

So I bought a real pretty Bible with a white puffy cover that had gold lettering and gilding on the edges of the pages.

AND it had color pictures to boot!

I put it on a dresser and admired its beauty for it a few days before it occurred to me to ask, “now what?”

“Read it,” came the internal reply.

“Say WHAT? Are you kidding me, God? Do You know how many pages there are? It’ll take soooo long!  And look at those big words – I don’t even know how to pronounce most of them let alone know what they mean!”

Of course, I kept that debate going for several days but drat it all (or so my lazier self thought!), that gentle voice kept nagging.

(I’m sooo glad it didn’t give up on me!)

One day I (finally!) acquiesced and opened the pretty book and started reading Genesis, Chapter 1.

To be honest, I didn’t truly understand, on a spiritual level, 98% of what was written. But without realizing it I was obeying the voice of God and apparently, that’s what mattered.

It took 3 years to read the Bible that first time, and about half way through voice of Spirit spoke up again and insisted, “It’s time.”

I knew what that meant, and even though I was terrified and, of course, fighting it, I did listen.

The divorce ended up being the easiest part of that relationship, thanks be to God!

While in that relationship, I’d sit on the floor with my back leaning on the bed post while watching this video over and over of Jozef Sabovcik skating to Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Trapped”. (Originally written by Jimmy Cliff.)

I LOVED that video! (Still do, actually.) And I don’t think I realized at the time what a hopeful tune it really is: “Now it seems like I’ve been sleepin’ in your bed too long / And it seems like you’ve been meanin’ to do me harm / But I’ll teach my eyes to see beyond these walls in front of me / And someday I’ll walk out of here again / Yeah, I know someday I’ll walk out of here again . . .  

Thank You, God; I only ever had to leave once. And there’s so much good and hope in my life now, even on days ~ like today ~ when my emotions keep needing to be reminded of that . . .)

Thank you to JumpinJoe Fans for posting this u-tube video!