Recently, I was visiting (online) with another blogger who was taking tiptoes into the world of vulnerabilty. She had made comments about her past life, but was going into some more detail…and was understandably uncomfortable.
I shared some posts I had read that I felt were helpful in positive ways in sharing the dark times women…and men, had been through and how GOD’s grace found them and changed their lives. No, it wasn’t all sundrops and roses once He found them and changed their lives. It was a process for sure…but one they are glad they continued.
Since then, I have come across some other stories, so today I’ll share some links with you to the story, but you will also find resources on most of these blogs that are very helpful…both for telling your story, for knowing what to emphasize (not as much the gory details of the sin, but the grace of GOD!)
You want to show the contrast/the before and after…even the the after may be years after the before in order for the contrast to show. The final outcome is that the person listening would say, “Isn’t GOD great!” not “Wow, you really changed yourself a lot didn’t you?” I hope that communicates.
this link is to a page that has a series of posts on her story + a video made with her husband. You might want to watch the video first before wading through the whole story. It will be like knowing the end of the story and then seeing all the flashbacks. I met her at a blogging conference a few years ago and asked about the story behind the name of her blog…When mercy found me. Over supper that night, she told me. Wow! It was before she had really told it on her blog…or even to many people. I love stories of grace, no matter how painful the process.
This post has other stories and resources, but the story I linked you to was that of the director Traylor Lovvorn and his wife…told by each one…in the 2 part video. Traylor gives a brief overview in the one part one of his story…of a pastor in bondage to porn that ruined his life and that of his family! As each story unfolds on this page, they get more detailed. But the message is clear! GOD’s grace is still alive and at work!
This links to a post by Tara about learning to love a difficult mother (understatement). This is one of many helpful posts she has on a difficult topic. When her mom passed away this past year, she grieved…but didn’t have regrets that she had not loved her. Tara had learned to honor and love her mom…talked to her everyday nearly. She also never shared any part of her story with her mom that she didn’t check out with her mom first! Amazing. Resource-wise, this is a great blog. She is a voracious reader (former lawyer) who pushes me and stretches my thinking always! Especially in areas of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Among the helpful resources on this blog are resources that help with good apologies, reconciliation, etc.
Author (with his mom) of the book Out of a Far Country. The link is to a talk he gave at a college on his testimony so it is a little longer than some of the other videos on his site. I liked the subtitle of his book that puts the emphasis where it needs to be…on finding GOD.
So there you have a few sites that you may find helpful to you if you are toying with the idea of sharing your story and coming out…as a sinner in need of GOD’s grace.
Of course, you don’t do it online or in public, unless it is totally ok with your spouse and any people in the story who will be “outed” when it is told. The idea is that you are confessing your sin, not blaming aspects of it on other people.
