As far as I was concerned, all trust was broken between John and me, and I didn’t want to be disappointed yet again. God answered my declaration with a question:
“Do you trust me, Lisa?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I need you to forgive John so he can change.”
He even gave me the words to say: “I believe you want to change and I forgive you.”
This was in stark contrast to my normal script, which read, “I will believe you are sorry when you change.”
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This way of thinking was so far removed from anything I had known that I knew it was God leading me. When I extended this unconditional mercy to John, the healing began for both of us. He was able to move out of the darkness of shame and into the light, where he found freedom from his bondage. This shift in perspective was a turning point. I could trust the unchangeable God.
Fearless love is not based on the performance of a person but on the loving faithfulness of God. When I confess my sins and struggles to the Father in Jesus’s name, I am never shamed. He believes my future will be better.
See Also: How God Can Heal a Marriage Broken by Betrayal
God is love. Love is eternal. Love never fails. Nothing entrusted to love is ever lost, and nothing birthed out of love well ever die. But there are some places that love does not grow; love cannot flourish in the company of its rival, fear. Fear has an end—actually, fear is a dead end. Fear is an ungodly spirit that leads to torment. Fear advises from its seat in the shadow of doubt, while love draws its wisdom from the light of faith. If you heed the counsel of fear for too long, you will fail.
Perhaps you’ve struggled to love those around you despite their shortcomings. If you’re like me, it can sometimes be a struggle to give love until you see change. But I want to encourage you to give love before it’s deserved or warranted. It is only when we embrace God’s fearless, undeserved, unfathomable love for us that we are changed—and it is only when we extend this fearless love to others that we give them room to do the same. Beloved, embrace the unrivaled love of God and watch your world transform around you.
