He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Psalm 107:20
It's been a few years since I have read through the Bible. Back in 2010, I did a rapid read of God's Word for the first time. Again in 2011. And then one more time in 2012. In 2013, a big portion of my life fell apart for me. I was in for a long journey. One that I have not completed yet. One that I am not even sure I will totally complete this side of heaven. It's a journey of healing as I fight my way back to trust God, others, and to trust myself again. Since the beginning of 2013, everything has had to slow down for me. I couldn't race through God's Word. I could barely get to a verse and when I did I had to stay there. Sometimes when your heart is so broken it takes time to pick up the pieces and start life again. So in 2013 and 2014, there was no way I could do a rapid read {something that I absolutely love doing}. I needed time to stand still.
Now I am ready though. Ready to get the big picture of God's love for me. This time I am reading with eyes wide open and from a very different perspective in life. You see what happened in 2013 changed how I look at God, others, and myself. God is no longer just my Savior. He is my Healer. He is my Defender. He is the One that "brought me out so that He could bring me in." People are no longer my savior. I have found that my bondage to people-pleasing went out the window when the hurt walked in. I just can't fulfill everyone's expectations of me. I can only do well what God calls me to do and even that is with His help. And finally, I am no longer myself. As a friend has told me over and over again, "You are not the person I once knew." So needless to say, I go into reading God's Word this time with a different background. A different perspective.
I am seeing Genesis through very different eyes. I am seeing a God who is in charge. A God who protects those trampled on. A God who gives grace to the lonely, the broken, the outcast. He is the one that takes the shunned and secures them in a safe place...a place of honor no less. {Think Joseph.} He is the one that even protects the murderer. {Think Cain.} He is the One that spreads grace and truth over all our dysfunction. Yes, we have messed up {the truth}, and yes, He is here to clean up the mess {grace}. He is the One that walks with us through our broken relationships and broken hearts.
Are you hurting? Heartbroken? Maybe it's time to dive into His Word {whether you camp at one verse or travel through all the Scriptures}. Maybe it's time to see how His Story can heal and restore.
Need other resources to heal?
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