The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: RELEASE (08/02/18)
When our triplet grands returned from Middle School Church Camp, telling me they all took the “leap of faith”, I had no idea what that was until I looked it up on youtube. Many church camps have one.

Oh, my goodness. A "shock" emoji here would fit nicely.

Their team hiked to a pole three stories high, and took turns scaling it with harness, ropes, and head gear. When each one reached the narrow platform to stand on, their friends cheered, as they leaped into space.

I listened in terror, awe, and pride for each of them. But where on earth did these kids come from? My fear of heights is epic.

Their courage deeply moved me. I knew God was nudging me about being stuck in bondage of my own doing.

A person I had trusted had recently turned on me, and I just could not get past it. My soul was a deflated balloon that had seen its last days of floating and reaching for the sky. The hole in my heart was deepening, and though I had an ounce of hope and saw a sliver of light, the darkness was winning its war against my testimony of victory against the enemy.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not seem to get past the harsh words, rejection, and judgements. My alone time with God was never just the two of us. The one I could not forgive was locked up with me.

Shackled to the past, I knew forgiveness is a command from God, not just a suggestion. I just could not seem to release the hurt.

My question that night was “Father, help me, please. How do I get out of this room? Where is the door?”

"Be still and know that I am God.

Your thoughts are not on Me, but self-centered pity. Focus on Me. I told you you would have trials and tribulation. Why so surprised?
Let go of the pain. release all that others have done or not done. You have put them in prison with you, and you are the only one that can find that door."

“I’m ready. Where is the door? What do I need to do?”



"Ask Me to show you how I see you, and to give you My love for all people. I can allow hard things to come your way to show you what you are not. You still are attached to the things of this earth, and most of what you deem important is wood, hay, and stubble that will burn up. Your people pleasing addiction has bitten you hard. It finally got your full attention.

Forgiveness is not just words. It’s a total release of the hurt. You give it all to Me, and you will be free. No taking it back. No expectation of any action from the offender. Just let it go."

I cried a lot that night, as I repented for my own sin. After the tears, the door of my cell started to creak open, and His light began to fill the emptiness in my heart, as His joy, my strength, gradually came back to me.

I had to take responsibility for allowing the hurt to dictate to me what was not true. I am worthy of His love, because His Son died for me. I am righteous, because He is righteous. He is the only true source of joy. It’s not found in others.

Trusting God in this was my “leap of faith.” I sensed, though I had no team, I could hear cheering for me. The cloud of witnesses was watching.

Calling my grand-daughter, I asked her, “did you easily decide to do the ‘leap of faith’? What was your motivation ?”

“Yes,” she said, “Nana, they told me you have to trust the equipment, just like in real life, we need to trust God daily. I just could not go to sleep that night allowing God to think I didn’t trust Him. When I got on the platform at the top I counted to three and jumped. I knew if I balked, fear would set in.”

Yes, I had known what to do. I knew I needed to forgive and let go. But, I had waited too long. Stubborn fear had set in, but He is good. I am forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”

True story
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 442 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/14/18
This is a great story. You did a fine job of showcasing the conflict and pulling me in right away. My heart ached for the MC. Your opening brought a recent memory to my head. My son was the leading a group of college kids who had never done a trust fall before, so he went first. They dropped him, resulting in a concussion. They didn't mean to drop him, but didn't fully understand their role. I was amazed at my son's ability to get back up and trust them again. This time they caught him. Your story highlighted an important message from his story that I had missed before. Getting back up after a fall can be hard, but it's also vital. If my son hadn't gone again, he'd have a hard time next time, and the kids would have missed a powerful message.

Just some pale pink ink I noticed: people-pleasing addiction should have hyphen while granddaughter is one word. The granddaughter's dialog felt a bit too formal and grown up for a middle schooler (using contractions might help a bit).

Overall, though, I think you did a fantastic job of writing on topic, actually nailing it in two different ways, a physical release and a metaphorical one. The message is profound. God never ceases to amaze me with his time table. I needed to read this story today; if the site hadn't been down for a few days, I would have read it earlier. Your message is exactly what I needed right now. Keep writing as the Holy Spirit directs you. Your words do make a difference. Thanks for sharing this powerful story. I have been blessed by your words.