A dear sister in Christ, Holley Gerth, who has been such an encourager in this season of my life, has recently written a book that was just released entitled, God’s Heart For You Embracing Your True Worth As a Woman.
God uses her in marvelous ways to speak to my heart, and the hearts of others through her writing. I may never meet her on this side of heaven, but have met her heart poured out in her blog posts continually. This week she is sharing an entry about being blessed. So when you finish reading this post, click the link back to hers. You will be further blessed by the words God has given her to write to you.
Something I know that you and I don’t like to talk about is persecution. Although, it seems that since I began my hard pursuit after Christ, persecution is something I expect, like the beach expects the waves to roll in with the tide.
In the beginning, when God called me to pursue schooling and become a minister, I didn’t understand. Now that I know His Word and Him so much more, I know the reasons I am being persecuted are because I refuse to give up my faith, and continue to follow Him regardless.
Some of the things I have faced are:
1. After getting my life in order, and giving my life to Christ, I found my dream job. After finding a church which taught me relationship and not religion for the first time, I was in a car accident that left me with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In 2006, I had to file with disability because I couldn’t walk or get out of the bed. I took ten pills to get through the day.
However there is the blessing: I conceived my fourth child unexpectedly just months later because of one of those medications. It made my birth control of no effect. She was born in November. When all was said and done, I was walking and only needed three of the meds. Two of the others I take as needed.
2. Right after registering for bible college in 2007, a friend of the family tried to molest my daughter. I was put on medication for anxiety. The medication caused hallucinations and a psychotic episode. It left me battling fear for six months. I could not even drive down the driveway for fear of wrecking my car at first.
The blessing: I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Church Ministry last year anyway free from fear. From zero to bachelors in three years. I also found healing from childhood sexual abuse that I experienced from age 3 until I was a teenager.
3. The week I became the youth leader at my church, my teenage daughter falsely accused me of child abuse. So she is living with her father in another state. I was studying Abraham and Isaac so I knew the best thing to do was let her go. My own mother told lies about things I supposedly did that were not true.
The blessing: I did not quit and successfully led the youth for two years until the Lord asked me to step down at the end of the school year last year. He told me I needed rest and He was sending me somewhere else. I found myself at the local pregnancy center volunteering to help them while I earn my degree in Counseling. (I am dual enrolled!)
4. Once at the local pregnancy center where I was led, they were looking for someone to help them write and organize curriculum to teach parenting classes to women who came there. So I am working with them to do that and will be teaching them.
Immediately following my decision to do so, my mother apologized for what she had falsely accused me of, and my teenage daughter decided to come home for a visit. She went to stay the night at my mother in law’s house and never came back. My mother was involved in my daughter leaving too. Both my mother and mother in law called social services and I was investigated for neglect, child abuse, and bad parenting two weeks later.
The blessing: Of course social services closed the case after investigating. My parenting was brought in question and I was a good Mom, case closed and in writing! I was going to be teaching parenting classes and counseling women no matter what. Satan was not happy, yet he is still walking around with LOSER tattooed on his forehead.
Last night he struck again, and I will not bore you with the details, but this time I am handling it the right way. Not like before when I would argue, rant, rave, kick, and scream. Nope, I have graduated from persecution school. I have passed the test. I will say though, that…
- Unforgiveness, bitterness, and such tries to settle in and I have to face it every time.
- I still have to swallow my pride and hurt and pray for those who persecute me.
- I still have to bite my tongue and force the law of kindness out of my mouth.
- I have to stop myself from going to others and telling them my sorrow and pain.
I have to go to Jesus and do all of those things. He is the only one I can take the unforgiveness, the bitterness, the pride, the hurt, the sorrow, and the pain to. There He reminds me to forgive, that the real enemy is Satan, that He made Himself of no reputation, that He has chosen me, that He wants to wipe away every tear, and that I am blessed. He gives me the blessings I need to bless those I can’t.
He blesses me with forgiveness, love, and compassion. A double portion that overflows so I may bless those who have hurt me.
In Christ we are Blessed, We find Blessing, and We can Bless others!
Even those who persecute us Beloved<3 Mindy
Here are some scriptures to help in times of persecution and the promised link to Holley’s Blog:
Another Samaritan Woman 