Home Improvement 2003

Letter 1
While my husband and I are both in second marriages and try to remember what we did wrong in our first… neither of our previous spouses were walking with the Lord… and to our knowledge haven’t changed much over the years… we still need to be reminded of why we ended up together… it is the little things that make the most of a marriage… thanks for reminding us of the little things that mean so much to each partner.

– Thanking God for little things

Letter 2
I’ve made a startling discovery – I’m an angry person! My legalistic background taught me that all anger was sin and I was to feel like a bad Christian if I got angry. So, I hardly ever showed my anger openly. I just “stuffed” it. I am working through the book, Deceived by Shame, Desired by God. The author encouraged us to write a letter starting with this statement – “I am angry because…” I wrote the letter to God. After 1 1/2 pages on a legal size pad, I saw I was an angry person. After writing it, I simply told God life isn’t fair. Right then I had a God moment or whatever you call it. God spoke quietly, but forcefully to my heart, “Do you think that having an innocent person take your punishment and dying for your sins so you could spend eternity in Heaven is fair?” I was stunned and speechless. Case closed!! Somehow, amazingly I knew God wasn’t condemning me for my anger. He was showing me that He not only knew about my unfair life, but He UNDERSTOOD, having experienced it Himself in Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross!! I need to take a long time looking at the sufferings of Jesus before the cross and while on the cross to help me heal emotionally. Other difficult issues I need to address, but at least I have the assurance God doesn’t condemn me for them.

-Experiencing Freedom & Forgiveness