A lesson on Grace - personal testimony (Rahel)

A lesson on Grace

Rahel Lalhlimpuii Andrews

 Lamentations!  What an apt title for this book! The more I learn about the author, Jeremiah, the more I want to lament!  His life was NOT a bed of roses.  Far, far from it!  I can truly say that Jeremiah is a real hero!  He was chosen by God (Jeremiah chapter 1).   You may be thinking, “what is she saying? This is supposed to be a blog entry on the book of Lamentations!”  Do bear with me!

I am on cloud 9 when I think of being chosen by the Lord to do His work. It sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? What is better than sharing the gospel and having people repent and turn to Jesus? Oh what a beautiful picture! However, reality check! It is actually a really tough road!

Here’s where Jeremiah comes in.  His hard, lonely life shows us just this. You see, it is rather lovely to day dream about following Christ and all the blessings that come with it, on other hand, when I have to keep in mind and prepare myself to suffer for His glory, I more often than not, cringe!

This is what Jeremiah’s life looked like, he was a man who obeyed God explicitly! He was a true prophet too, as his prophecies given to him by the Lord came true (14 years later.) Now, it should make sense that his own people would realize that he was a true prophet. But nope, what did they do? They persecuted him. This was brutal abuse!  They threw him into a pit (Jeremiah 11:18-23), made up songs of mockery about him (Lamentations 3:14, 61-63) and so much more.

It is one thing to be persecuted and hurt by those who are your enemies. It is a totally different ball game when the abuse comes from the ones you love and care for. It truly is much more painful. My first initial reaction to persecution from someone I love and care for, would be anger and instantly wishing the worse (secretly) upon them. Many times, if something bad happens to them, I am secretly happy to hear about it.  Reading about Jeremiah has inspired and challenged me greatly.  Can you imagine the trauma and mental anguish Jeremiah must have gone through? No wonder Jeremiah faced depression (Jeremiah 9:1, 14:17).

What did Jeremiah do in return? He extended deep love and care to the very ones who were torturing him! He even cried out to the Lord on their behalf (Lamentations 3:48-51).

So what does this have to do with me?  You see, a few years ago I was molested by someone known to me.  He was the grandfather of a good friend of mine.  I used to visit their home regularly, and the family was dear to me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen to me.  I was angry, hurt and I stopped visiting their home.  It broke me and left me distrusting any one of his age. To this day, I have struggled to forgive him.

Seeing how the prophet Jeremiah was able to forgive and extend God’s grace to those who hurt him greatly challenged me.  He even prayed on their behalf!  Can you imagine that? 

Jeremiah’s life brought so much healing in my own journey of pain and hurt; he extended grace with the grace shown to him by God. May I be able to extend grace to the one who has hurt and wronged me with the same kind of grace God extends to me. Is it easy? Absolutely not! But I now know it is possible with God’s help.

What a comfort to know that though Jeremiah faced difficulties, God the Father, was still with Him. This same loving Father is with you and me today in whatever battles we face. Praise be to Him and Him alone!

Thank You God, for the life of Jeremiah. You knew that we, Your children, would need a role model when our walk with You gets tough. It's not an easy road. But one day, we will be in Your glorious presence, like Jeremiah is today and it is then that we will see just how worth it our suffering has been!

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