Todd spent His life running the streets, never thinking the streets would end up running him. Drugs seductively inched their way into His way of life. Quick cash and dash and it was business as usual this 14 yr old. Not exactly.
Murder and gangs wasn’t what He signed up for, but money owed was money owed. It was him or me. Hardened hearts only consider self centered scenarios.
Todd was crumbling, the day to day operations of drug smuggling to taunt the lives of others was taking a toll. Murder is now his narrative.
He remembered His Grandmother praying over him and for him. He crumpled to the floor in a ball when He thought about it.
He lay prostrate sobbing as He thought about the one life He had and the many he had taken. Now what? His life felt old even though He was still young.
God entered His soul that night as He cried out. His heart ached with deep repentance and remorse. Drug cravings immediately dried up but this ache of heart overwhelmed His life. How could God love him?
How could God have a great plan for Him when He had ruined all of the plans of others selfishly? As He wrestled, flashes of the lives He took came before Him. He couldn’t change it.
He vowed from that point on to walk with God and trust Him to lead him and teach him.
This was my friend in Bible school. God sent him there with the clothes on His back and told him, I will make a way for you to be there.
Others will help you.
Todd knelt at His bed one night praying, distraught over how He would pay his tuition that month.
The next day God sent person after person wanting to help him.
Todd knew God sent him there and was honoring His sincere devotion in obeying. Todd not only is still in Bible school, He is employed by the ministry now.
God changes the narrative of our story.
Have you ever struggled with the pain from your past? Do you hesitate in life because your confidence has been hijacked because of past decisions you have made?
1) Give yourself the same grace God gives you by acknowledging the change in your life now.
If God doesn’t hold you captive then why are you holding yourself captive? Forgive yourself.
2) Break the chains of condemnation and shame by acknowledging the truth about yourself and who God says you are. Know your true identity.
Scripture says there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.We have an adversary that preys upon the weak places in our life, or what I would call the places of our flesh or the places of brokenness. He preys upon the places that are wounded.
3) Share your story and what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown through the process of your healing.
Personal testimonies paint a picture of redemption.
The book of Corinthians says that with the same comfort that we have received now we can also comfort others with it. It is impossible to really comfort others deeply if we can’t understand their pain or we haven’t walked through some pain ourselves.
Allow God to use your story.
You don’t have to share every detail or even very personal parts that you want to keep private. Allow them to know you’ve walked through pain and you can be their friend as they process their own pain. Be a safe place for them to land.
If God entrusts someone’s pain to you, be the comfort of God to them with words only He has for them
Let your history become His Story. Lift your voice for the next generation.
