Chapter 5 of Lysa's book gets personal—real personal.
Chapter 5 of Lysa's book gets personal—real personal. Now, it's not the sort of personal that makes you cringe when your third cousin hops on Facebook and spills all sorts of nasty family drama. This is the personal approach to living that Christ called us to; it's the sort of calling that requires we drop our pride, open ourselves to vulnerability, and dare to still believe that God is the ultimate Healer and Sustainer.
Lysa walks us through how difficult it was for her to trust men. Growing up, many pivotal men in her life hurt her, whether through neglect, abandonment, or even sexual abuse. She internalized this hurt and distrust so much so that she became the only person she trusted. Sounds safe... until you discover that we, as humans, are flawed. All of us. And we aren't as trustworthy as we should be. But God is. While extending forgiveness is tough, it's a whole new battle to be willing to trust others with your same healing heart.
Yet, we are called to live lives of community, of connection. We weren't meant to retreat to the shady comforts of a dark bedroom where we no longer have to face anyone or anything. We are called to be honest with the root cause of our bitterness and distrust. We are called to bring these heartaches and burdens to God. We are challenged by God to look to Him as our sole source of trust, and from there, we can learn to extend the olive branch to others with hands that are a little less shaky, fists that are a little less clenched, this time.
We will chat next Thursday, discussing Chapter 6 of Forgiving What You Can't Forget. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button so you can stay updated on all things iB Book Club. Hope to see you there!
Blessed and honored to be part of this book club!
—PG (If you have any personal thoughts, ideas, or prayer requests you don't feel comfortable sharing on the public YouTube comments, feel free to find me on Instagram @peytonmgarland.)
Photo Credit: ©SWN
Originally published Tuesday, 13 September 2022.
