Sometimes, God does some crazy things that totally blow my mind. Then I realize that He is doing these big things to make a big point. Let me tell you about this one incredible night here in Peru.
First off, I should fill you in on this wonderful thing that happened when I became vulnerable and opened up to the girls on my team.
I told them about the times that I have been hurt by men. I shared stories that were very close to my heart, that only a few people in the world know. I told them specific names. I cried.
They showed me love, grace and spoke life into me.
I opened up a piece of paper that I was clutching the entire time. It was a list of every man that has hurt me. I wrote out their names and the lies that they told me or how they had used me. I let my friends see it.
Kacie told me “Mel, that’s not something that you need to hold on to. Those lies don’t define you.”
I wrote them out simply so that I can recognize pain that may be trapped inside. I wanted to allow God to surface all of the lies, so that I can combat them with truths that He has told me. But Kacie was completely right. I didn’t need that list. The day that I had it in my hands was long enough. I had to let it go.
So after the girls prayed over me, we decided to get rid of that list. Kacie, Estie, Melissa, Jacqueline and I went to the fire pit in our compound. Estie got some matches and we were going to burn the list. We crumpled the paper a little bit, set it in the pit and then lit two of the edges on fire. We stood there watching it.
And here is the coolest part-
It didn’t burn up! Only the edges started to burn. Then, the fire spread over the paper and made it white! All the words that I had written on there in black sharpie pen were gone! The paper remained on fire, but didn’t burn up. When the fire went out, the paper remained- white as snow.
How cool is that?! I couldn’t believe it. All of us were so amazed. God had just washed all those sins, memories and lies away right in front of our eyes. He gave me the most insanely cool visual of His redemption.
And since that day, I have felt like a weight has literally been lifted off of me. The lies that I had been holding on to were gone. I am well on the road to freedom. I have started declaring the truths God has told me. I am starting to believe some of them. I'm becoming who He wants me to be… in Him.
