Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday November 2, 2007

"How do you walk from darkness where despair holds your heart, owns your spirit, robs your soul, and destroys your essence?" Thus begins the utterly miraculous story of a Journey To Forgiveness, the true story of Heather Rice Foster's life of horrendous suffering at all levels of her existence.

Heather's story is included in the Indiana Author's 2007, Inspiration From The Heartland.

At the age of 10 Heather began being molested regularly by her stepfather. Her mother's third husband had brutally beaten Heather from age five, the fourth husband was the one who used her as the alternative in sex abuse for five long years. To say Heather was a basket case is understatement of British magnitude. When her mother found out what was going on they packed up and left. Praise the Lord.

Think the pain stops here? It is just the beginning.

Jim Lowery after years of abusing Heather, her mother and her sister Susie ended up murdering a judge and his wife, Mark & Gertrude Thompson. Heather deals with the years of trying to cope with events that are too intricate for any 10 year old. You will need a box of tissues. Jim was executed by the state of Indiana. Heather was a witness and as she as best she can describes the internal conflict raging inside at the time. He account is graphic as she was on one side for witnesses for the victim and her stepsister Jennifer on the side or relatives. Jim Lowery, Heather's stepfather was executed on June 27, 2001 in the death chamber at Michigan City, IN. Heather still battles inwardly.

Think this is all there is? The more is even more painful.

Bob, the stepfather who murdered Heather's mother in a fit of rage is serving life without parole in a prison in Louisiana. You simply must read Heather's account of this.

When Heather was 17 she met and fell in love with Steve and they lived happily ever after. Sure. Steve was from a similar background of abuse and neglect and after he had an affair he simply abandoned her.

Heather says that in answer to the prayers of her grandmother she sat in a church service and came to the understanding that God loved her in spite of her many failures. She says, "One Sunday I heard the words being spoken, "Come, accept Him and give your life to Him." I basically ran down the aisle and rededicated my life to Christ." This short daily letter has not touched but the slimmest hem of the garment that is the woven from the pain, terror, rage and torment of Heather's life. Yet the garment sports the brilliance of God's grace.

To answer Heather's opening question she wrote: "You must face all that time you allowed hurt, anger, fear, guilt, shame, and rage to control you. Ultimately you must learn that only one thing will allow you to embrace happiness and love once again: Forgiveness." Amen

Many years ago I had a man give his testimony in our church. He had survived an airplane crash and was billed as "The Walking Miracle." Heather is a survivor of several crashes in her life, but through Christ she is a winner. I hope she writes an entire book about her life. Her short version in Inspiration is valuable and will help many who invest the time to read it.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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