When a friend asked me to speak with teenage girls at a workshop promoting purity, I declined. As a teenage runaway, I struggled and had decades of scars caused by my immorality. After getting married and losing our first child to a miscarriage, I thought God was punishing me for my past sins. When I finally surrendered my life to Christ at the age of thirty, I confessed my sins and repented . . . repeatedly. Still, guilt and shame consumed me. How could I share about Godās grace when I couldnāt even bring myself to fully receive the gift of His great love for me? Thankfully, over time, God has abolished the lies that chained me to who I was before I confessed my sins. By His grace, Iāve finally received the forgiveness God had been offering me all along.
God understands our laments over our afflictions and the consequences of our past sins. However, He empowers His people to overcome despair, turn from our sins, and arise with hope in His great ālove,ā ācompassion,ā and āfaithfulnessā (Lamentations 3:19ā23). Scripture says that God Himself is our āportionāāour hope and salvationāand we can learn to trust His goodness (vv. 24ā26).
Our compassionate Father helps us believe His promises. When we receive the fullness of His great love for us, we can spread the good news about His grace.
