Linking up today with the ladies at Five Minute Friday.
She was raised in Africa, the daughter of missionary parents. A special part of her heart will always be reserved for Africa.
Sent off to boarding school at age 7, she only saw her parents three months out of the year between school sessions. She hated it, hated being away from her parents.
Her mother died when she was 12. She was, as she says, "left here" in the U.S. at age 17 on her own to make her way. She went to Bible school and resisted a call to return to Africa. She knew she should, but didn't want to go back as a single woman.
With a deep desire for marriage and children, she married a man she knew she shouldn't. He was still in love with a former flame. After two children, two heart surgeries, nearly three decades of marital turmoil and stress, she couldn't do it anymore. They divorced. The divorce was granted on Valentine's Day.
She's trained as a nurse and is now semi-retired, spending as much time as she can volunteering. She's nearly died twice from her heart ailment. She has many regrets, but knows God is gracious, loving and forgiving. She knows that despite her choices and her mistakes, she is His beloved. She shares her story as often as she can with young people in the hopes that they will avoid making the same mistakes she made, that they will listen to the One voice, the Only voice that matters.
I just met her last night as we were volunteering side by side. As I listened, enraptured with her story, all I could think was God is good, God is gracious, we are loved.
Wow, Elizabeth, what a beautiful story. We are loved, aren't we. I am constant surprised, why, I don't know, the depth of pain others have been through. We had our own 'hell' for ten years, and when you are in it, it is hard to see other's pain, but on the other side of it, you actually 'feel' other's pain. I suppose that just might be one of the purposed of the pain?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this today, it reminded me of His love for me, and the every.single.one of us has some pain or has been through something, and to extend mercy.
Blessings,
Michelle
Wow, what a sad story. We are all loved.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Shanae
I guess this could be a sad story to most.. but I love seeing how He works...always pursuing...loving us through our choices, regardless of our choices...His perfect plan for us to speak His heart to others...and that is what she is doing. So redemption and restoration are hers...His hand was always (and imagine, still) on her back.
ReplyDeleteT
I so appreciated this raw story of how beloved we truly are. Warts and all. Bad decisions and all.
ReplyDeleteGod shows us over and over that He pursues the broken, that all He wants is for us to Be Loved by Him. What a story of this woman allowing herself to Be Loved! Thank you for sharing this redemption story!
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