"Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his
people? You cannot stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in
showing mercy." -Micah 7:18
A man lay crying in his bed at night. He was in deep despair because, through
his own sins, he had lost his marriage, family and job. He was carrying on what
he thoughts was a quiet affair with another employee, but was not as private a
matter as he perceived. When his wife found out, she left him. When the children
heard the news, they lost respect for him, and weren't sure they ever could
trust their dad again. Lastly, the man was given his termination of employment
papers.
That night, in his hands he sobbed the most heartbreaking tears of anguish and
remorse. "Oh God!" He cried out, "What have I done? What have I done?" It was
ironic the man had called out to God, since, after all, he was a self-proclaimed
atheist. Since he had not seen enough proof of God's existence, he simply went
about his life, not giving further thought to the matter.
That night, in his broken and pitiful state, the man called out to God. He
didn't know why he felt compelled to cry out, but he simply followed what seemed
to be the right thing to do. "Please forgive me, God," he whimpered in humility.
"I have been so selfish; only thinking of my own needs, and not concerned with
how my actions could affect others. In fact, what I thought was a need, turned
out to be simple lust. The lady I was sneaking around with just seemed so
pretty, and I enjoyed the attention she gave me. I guess I was just flattering
my own ego, and feeding my own selfish desires. Can you ever forgive me, God?
Can you ever?"
The man was desperate to repair the damage he had done, but he didn't know if it
was possible. Once his tears has dried, he spoke to God again, "I have acted
despicably, and I want to be a better man. I don't want to be selfish and
uncaring anymore. I want my wife back. I need my children in my life. I love
them so much! Please God, help me! Please forgive my past sins, and help me be
that better man."
Seven years after the above scene, this same man sat in a cafe talking to the
pastor of his church. "You know, Pastor," he said, "It wasn't easy to repair all
the damage I caused, and it was most definitely an uphill struggle, but God was
merciful, and thankfully, so were my wife and children. It took us a long time
and many small steps to get where we are today, and the broken trust and pain
did not disappear overnight, but I can only thank God that we are a family
again. If I didn't believe God was real and had the ability to show mercy, I
don't know if I would be here today. He has been so good to me when He didn't
have to be. I spit on God and turned my back on Him so many times in the past,
and yet, when I cried out to Him, He still came to my rescue and showed me mercy
and love."
"Pastor," he continued, "It is my honor and joy to be able to share my story
with the rest of the congregation this Sunday. I don't want anyone else to ever
endure what I went through. I want all people to know that God IS real, and DOES
forgive when we genuinely hunger for a better way."
The pastor smiled and nodded his head, and the two finished their lunch; the
afternoon sun shining upon them both.
Contributed by Melanie Schurr (c)2004 Melanie Schurr Melanie Schurr is author of
"Ecstatic Living Ecstatic Loving: How to have more peace and joy in marriage,
and life in general by walking in harmony with God," and "Son Salutations: A
refreshing collection of modern inspirations for those who seek God each day."
For more information, visit her web page at
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/melschurr
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