He is Risen!

 April 20, 2013, Easter Sunday Journal Entry:

“It is Easter morning.  I am so nervous about church.  Lord, please give me the right attitude and words to say.  Make this a day of new beginnings for me as it was for all creation when Jesus rose!  Hallelujah!”

“Sunday School and Service went well.  People were glad to see me.  H. was there too.  It hurt to see him act as if everything was wonderful.  It’s such a sad situation.”

We were very involved in this church.  It was the church he grew up in.  Our kids were baptized there.  We had left it for a time but had come back a couple of years before this and were quite at home there.  He was a deacon, I sang in the choir and in a trio, and we both taught Sunday School.  Our lives pretty much revolved around church.  We had friends who felt like family and it was home.  That’s why this was so hard for me. 

Again, I won’t go into some of what happened that Sunday or things that were said and done during this time.  Some of it was very hurtful but looking back I again see God’s hand of protection as He was leading me in the right direction.  There was one particular situation with a person who I thought was my friend.  Turns out she was anything but my friend.  There was a sense of unease in my spirit about that relationship that I know now came from the Holy Spirit protecting me.  To this day I am thankful for those who showed me so much love and support.  Some of them remain in my life today. 

As much as it hurt I needed to let go of the past even of the “good” things and move forward into the life He always had planned for me.  Letting go of this place and these people was difficult but necessary.  I claimed God’s promise found in Isaiah:

I won’t say letting go was immediate.  In the coming weeks I will share the twists and turns of the path I was on for several years to come.  In fact, there are still moments today when I believe God leads me to recall people, places, things, and events so that I can let go of them.  Some things I’ve had to let go of numerous times.  It’s amazing the many ways He has helped me to heal and find the Ginny He created me to be before I was born. 

My favorite hymn is “It Is Well with My Soul”.  I hope if someone reading this is in a difficult season that this song will encourage and strengthen your faith.  Listen and let God's Spirit minister to you.

AMEN!