Like all young parents, I made many bad choices.  They were done with the best of intentions, but I was new at being a mom, and some of the choices and decisions I made turned out to be the worst things I could have possibly done!  Yes!  I was stubborn too, and would not listen to wise counsel and advice given to me.  And…I sure didn’t need God’s help!  Or so I thought! I knew it all!  I was an adult and could make my own decisions. WRONG!  I see that now…you know what they say about ‘hind site!’

Anyway, today, I am reaping some of the consequences that go along with wrong decision-making.   Believe me…these consequences are hard to swallow!  So, this morning, I asked God to give me a promise that I could hang onto.  Here is what He gave me….

“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!” -Romans 5:20

There was a little poem that went along with it.  It said…

“In busy mart, and crowded street,

No less than in the still retreat,

Thou Lord, art near, our souls to bless”

That verse means to me,  that when I was the worst of sinners…God still chose to show me grace.  If He chose to show ME grace…and mercy…and longsuffering…then I should do the same for others!

I was ready to give up on my ‘relationship, fellowship, forgiveness seeking quest’, with those still angry and hurt with me.  I had definitely asked for forgiveness more than 7 times!  But in that promise, I realize I should never give up hope that those things will come…some day, God will use my forgiving heart to get through to those I have hurt, and they in turn, will forgive me!

By the way, this particular promise had a hand written note on it from ‘Mom Whitson’, a friend of mine since childhood.  It simply said this: “I drew this for you with a prayer.  How I want His presence to ever be near me!” -Mom W.

These promises are from God Almighty Himself.  Yes…there will be hard days.  Yes…there will be tears.  But we will make it if we give our broken want-to to Jesus.  We will make it with God’s help.