Monday, April 12, 2010

An Example of Restoration/Restitution

I'm not the type that cries easily.
Now as I'm getting older, the tears come more easily. But when I was younger... no way.

Anyway, one time, over ten years ago while my husband still pastored, I sat bawling in the car. There was a couple in our church that had turned on me. Before that, I had felt God specifically tell me to take them under my wing and love them. And I did, not knowing what was in store for me.

Making a long story short, the husband of this couple had a negligent, abusive mother. And the wife's mother wasn't as bad, but was a trouble maker. All the bottled up anger they had towards their mothers they took out on me after the honeymoon of the relationship was over. They turned on me like I had never been turned on before. And I hurt. I grieved for the relationship because I opened my heart toward them and loved them with a deep and real love. My heart was broken.

As I sat in the car and bawled, I asked God why.

First thing I felt that I heard from Him was something like, "Are you sorry that you ever had a relationship with them?"

When I really searched my heart, my answer was, no. I still loved them and appreciated the good times we had before things went south. I was just upset that things went south and I wanted it back the way it used to be. So I told God that I wasn't sorry for the relationship.

His next question took me off guard. "What can I give to you that will make it up to you."

It took me so off guard that I didn't even know what to ask. I fumbled around a bit then asked God, "What should I ask for?"

"Ask Me for a house."

I started laughing. We needed a bigger house. The one we were in was two sizes too small for our family. So I asked for a bigger house.

In a few years, I had one. A good one through an unexpected inheritance.

As far as that couple was concerned, they did come around eventually.

I'm not sure, but part of me thinks that God wanted a situation where this couple could get their anger towards their mothers to the surface. He asked me to step in knowing that these two were boiling pots that needed to blow. And He could trust me to not retaliate or return abuse upon them. All I did was grieve over them, like a bereaved mother, and pray for them. And that's all He wanted from me. He would handle the rest.

And it wasn't a bad situation for me when it was all over. I got a house and the couple came back as friends.

God asked a favor. I obeyed. It blew up in my face. And He made it up to me.

8 comments:

shadowspring said...

Love is inherently risky business.

"And we know in all things God works together for the good of those who love him..." Not always OUR good, but the good of those who love him.
That's one way this verse makes sense to me, situations like the one you described.

Peace and goodwill, SS

JaneDoeThreads said...

Not always OUR good, but the good of those who love him.

Yea but that's the Spiritual Good, not the LIE, the Sugar Drug Induced of the demons Lie that has been sold and peddled in the Babylon church of America.

The problem with how that scripture has been used is that those who prosper, are well to do, it is believed that God has blessed them, while the poor, suffering, downtrodden, oppressed are some how those who don't love God because well, they aren't in the world's way, Successful...

but Jesus said in Rev, the LIE was those who think they are rich, when actually they are Wretched, Naked and Poor, Buy of me Gold tried by

FIRE.

James says WOE, WOE to those who are rich, Comfortable,

Americans would do well to take HEED to those WARNINGS, while the remnant in Other nations, are being slaughtered, POOR, miserable, Suffering, in ways we couldn't Even imagine...

we here, have been drinking the 'nectar of the gods', the Sugar,

and we're Drunk, as a result of...rather than being, Sober.

And when the FIRE does come, the Falling Away, will be Disastrous.

In solidarity,

Jane

JaneDoeThreads said...

I reacted a bit strong to these, Shadowspring and Mara,

so, one, I apologize for being 'thorny', a tumbleweed blowing in the wind tossing on the highway...

but too, in experience and the knowing of what I have sadly tasted, years of death because I followed so many of the false christ's teachings, and now that, in HIS Mercy and in HIS Grace, He who pulled me OUT of the fires of hell,

I know the lies, so many are being entangled in and so I do react strongly when triggered, though at first I don't know why I react so strongly...until later He shows me,
when He woos me/or with His staff gets me to the place where I finally sit quiet, humbly before Him and learn.

The Truth is, the false doctrine has been for so long that blessings are a sign of God's riches towards our 'goodness', our loving Him, while that is True,

it has become a perversion in the latter-end days that Satan has cleverly used via false prophets/doctrines of Corruptible Men who have perverted and made into an Image a 'god' of Corruptible Man. [Romans]

Jesus warned us of this, in Rev, and we truly are wretched and miserable and naked in the Protestant West, it was Never to be about 'the world' or the things of the world [James] but of Spiritual blessings,

to be rich in the Spirit. It's not that God doesn't bless us materially but there is Way too much focus, on This LIFE, when it should be,

on the Next LIFE, Eternal Life. Treasure in Heaven, where it does not decay...Lord help us to see, give us vision, let us not be entangled in this world or the things of this world which are going to Pass Away.

Love,

Jane

shadowspring said...

Jane, though your first post was strongly worded, I totally agreed with it.

True good, what you called spiritual good, is the only good mentioned.

Being rich is not mentioned, because as you rightly point out, it is not necessarily good. One of my favorite movies, a sentimental bit of Hollywood tripe for the most part, has this one great dialogue"

"Don't you want to be rich mama?"

"Being rich is like being ten feet tall- good for some things, bad for others."

I get that good means really good, God good, not Madison Avenue "good".

JaneDoeThreads said...

Hi Shadowspring,

well I actually was referring to 'rich' in more than just riches...here's why. One of the things [there are numerous] God has revealed to me about the RA [maybe SRA] abuse in my childhood is how Sugar, actual sugar, was one of the things used to induce me either into a narcotic state or to entice me with, not sure which because I don't have all the memories, only fragments but I do remember sugar and my addiction to. Anyhow, sure enough, looked it up, and sugar is used in ritual abuses/children. So I asked/prayed about this, the Enemy uses optimism or a form of optimistic teachings [using Word of God] but in a sugar coated 'dark sentences' way to ensnare people into a False Gospel,

and that scripture is one of the big ones used, among with a few others so I reacted strongly to it. I've been doing this a lot of late, without noticing really why until God shows me, but the sorcery used to trick children or in RA is also used through false prophets/false teachings today and it IS a part of our Culture, which is centered around sorcery. One area where this is really happening is in the whole music-worship in churches/music, the super optimism, notice though how it's always music about what God can or does for Me Me Me, even if centered [supposedly] around God it's still about what He does for Me. This is to induce an emotional 'high' and to lure people into believing in the Soul state, rather than walking in Spirit, this is why we have the Bi-Polar Christianity we do today [and this I think is borrowed/the music from our culture]. Now not saying to get fanatical and some do, the other side of the coin, I still like the music,

but I am noticing more and more, how 'emotionalism' has been the Sugar, that when the Trials do come/the Persecution, hundreds are NOT going to be able to stand. Because the Faith, is not set on the Rock, but on Promises of Sugar, Optimism. Like a drug...and it is a type of sorcery, and of course, many sell this drug in ministries/books for a Profit--which Word says, do NOT sell gifts of the Spirit/or the Word of God [NT], so, just some things I am noticing, more...weird things like that.

Jane

Mara Reid said...

I have one more post on restoration and will get to it when I can.

If I've not made it clear before, I believe that God is a God of blessings. But prosperity is not always, or even usually a sign of God's favor, nor is poverty a sign of His disfavor.

JaneDoeThreads said...

Your posts are fine Mara, God is just weeding through a lot toxins in my heart and soul garden.

Love,
Jane

Mara Reid said...

Good.

On this restoration stuff I actually forgot I had two more posts. One involving Scripture and another a personal story.

But God is God and He restores and blesses in His timing.
IOW, YMMV.

But the promises remain. He's a God of blessing and a God of restoration. We turn our eyes to Him. Those who wait on the Lord will not be disappointed.

Even so, injustice always looks to take away what God gives.

Proverbs 13:23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.