Divorce, Forgiveness, and New Beginnings

I remember what it was like to be a young girl in church, always wondering if someone would discover who I really was… a sham.

When you are 13, 15, 19 years-old it is hard to believe you can be a recipient of forgiveness or affection. I remember the weight of all my inadequacies, and wondering if I truly was worthy, and I was one of the strong, confident girls!

Christ opens up all our vulnerable parts and pieces. It’s part of who He is and growing in Him is partly learning that He doesn’t love us because we’re perfect, because we’re good, but He loves us because we’re His.

Now, imagine being young and walking into a church when you’ve never been in one. Imagine all that vulnerability without any back story. The warmth and affection of the church in that moment is a powerful thing! When girls, and guys, find genuine care when they encounter the church, it can be life-changing in a way that makes us wholly aware of Jesus’s presence in the situation.

Then, life happens, a dark season comes…

hurt

heartbreak

turmoil

change

brokenness

whether in the form of broken relationships, like divorce, or something else, that same genuine warmth makes a huge impact, reminding us forgiveness is real, healing is possible, Jesus has not forgotten you.

This is the heart of the work of the church:

Letting every member know they are valued, in their brokenness, not in spite of their brokenness.

What a difference it makes for someone to say, “We want all your pieces, not just your pretty parts.”

That wisdom comes from today’s podcast guest, Donna Pyle. Donna is an author, speaker, teacher, and encourager. Today, she shares with us her own stories of walking into the church in young adulthood and God working in the broken season. We talk walking into new and different, we talk divorce and brokenness, and we talk beginning and beginning again, every day.