Here's what I know to be true:
1) God loves me -- really and truly loves me. I have heard those words in the past, but I was unable to take them in. That is sometimes described as "having no place to hang" words of love. It's like a broken pitcher that can't hold water.
2) I am not the same woman as the day I got married. It's obvious I've grown in all areas of my life, but due to the nature of this group, I have been able to examine many of the things I was taught to be true and to make up my mind as to whether they were really true or not. It was not easy, since I had been taught to believe them by my parents, previous churches and a host of other sources.
3) The most rewarding part of this study was that my faith in God and His Word has remained solid -- rock solid. A healing continues in me, but the words of love that I find in the Bible, are more easily finding a home in me. This verse comforts me:
"The Lord your God is with you and is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing."
(Zeph. 3:17)
I recall the poem "Footprints" and the section that reads: "...He whispered, 'My precious child, I love you and will never leave you...ever...during your trials and testings, when you saw only one set of footprints...it was then I carried you'." That is so, so true. I can't make it on my own strength. I can't find my own way.
Here's a paragraph from my study guide: "It may be very difficult to imagine God so full of joy over you. This image is especially difficult for people who have been abandoned physically or emotionally. You may have been unwanted. You may have been criticized and rejected. You may have been abused at the hands of the people you needed most to comfort you. But we are not unwanted by God. We will not be rejected or abused by God. God delights in us. God longs to quiet our agitation and anxiety with love. God is so glad we are alive. God sings for joy! The Creator of the Universe takes delight in us and sings for joy!"
So I'm beginning to think different thoughts -- healthier thoughts -- and truthful thoughts. And I am the servant of a singing God.
