The silent burden you’re carrying seems too heavy to lift some days.  The hurt, the extreme hurt, seems to reach directly down to your bones.  The knife stabbing pains of a broken heart.  There are days where the pain literally takes away your ability to breathe.

Things that once looked so familiar to you now look like things you don’t even recognize.  The coffee pot he made coffee in each morning while he was lying to you.  The couch you snuggled on while watching tv while he was lying to you.  The stairs you both walked up to your bedroom while he was lying to you.  The socks he put on each morning while he was lying to you.  Literally every single item in your house is filled with lies.  And as you glance around each day, that is what you see.

Some might tell you to take comfort in knowing you aren’t suffering alone, that there are so many other women across the world walking this same path.  You find no comfort in that.  None.  Truth is the valley you are walking through is dark, cold, lonely and so very scary.  Along the path is hurt, anger and bitterness.

Let me speak directly to your heart sweet girl.  God wants to hold your broken heart in His hands.  That is the only way.  Listen to my words and let me say it again…that is the ONLY way.  He can heal your broken heart and He will heal it.  But first, you must give Him all the pieces.  The challenge is first finding all of the pieces.  Like shards of broken glass, the pieces weave themselves so very deep into our hearts.  And Satan is right there, breaking the pieces smaller and hiding them better.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds
Psalm 147:3

The pain touches a deep, vulnerable place often known only to God.  When hurting is the only thing you can feel, it is such a lonely place to be.  So many times when we are going through pain, we are told to get over it, move on and let it go.  They don’t understand how slow this hurt heals.  The world offers so many ways to numb the pain, but they are only temporary fixes.  Please oh please don’t fall for that trap.  If we turn to them, then we aren’t allowing God to heal our hurt.  Allowing Him to search and heal our hearts is the only true way to have them healed.  Only He knows the deepness and complexity of our pain.

Psalm 56:8 says You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.  Our tears are not in vain.  God knows each of His children intimately, and every tear we shed has meaning to Him.  He remembers our sorrow.  And in the end, He will share His joy with us.  Revelation 21:4 says He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.  Sweet girl, find comfort in that.  Not only does he know your sorrow, but He will wipe every tear from our eyes.  Don’t suffer through your grief alone.  Don’t be unwilling to be vulnerable with God.  Give Him your heart, hand it over to Him to search and find all those little pieces of hurt and allow His hands to heal it as only He can.

Search me O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way
Psalm 139:23-24

In Scripture, unfaithfulness is the only “acceptable” reason for dissolving a marriage.  But I want to tell you today that even this betrayal, the ultimate betrayal, doesn’t have to result in divorce.

When it feels like all hope is lost, hand that relationship over to God.  It’s so easy to make rash decisions while our heart is broken.  Many days, divorce sounds like the best and sometimes easiest option.  Hand it over to Him, pray about it and search out biblical council.  Cling to God like never before and allow Him to carry you through it.

God has a beautiful reconciliation full of grace planned for you.  Often times the relationship, once it has endured the storm, will come out of it stronger and new.  Through all the conversations, all the deepness, you now know each other differently.  This is the blessing of true healing from the hands of God.  At times, taking it day by day seems like such a big task.  Just take it minute by minute, and allow His grace to carry you through each one.

If you’ve experienced betrayal in your marriage, you may have a few reservations about bringing sex back into the relationship.  I think that is understandable and a normal fear.

How do you even begin to entertain the thought of sexual intimacy with him when he’s been unfaithful?  How do you move on?  How do you move back into the intimacy that was unfairly taken from you?

Forgiveness

The hurt just seems too big to ever get past.  The pressure to forgive quickly is strong in this high-speed world we live in.

Forgiveness isn’t a feeling—it’s a choice we make.  Depending on the size of the break in trust, forgiveness may be a process and can’t be rushed.  If you’ve accepted God’s forgiveness, you have the power to forgive your spouse.

Allow yourself to feel whatever you feel, without judgment.  Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to forgive quickly.  Emotion is a teacher, allow yourself room to feel and learn from those feelings.  Forgiveness accesses the spiritual part of a person, allowing you to regain a sense of personal meaning.  This is a great time to nurture your relationship with God.

Rebuild Trust

You have to rebuild trust before you can bring sexual intimacy back into the relationship.  This trust will take time, the same as forgiveness does.  Forgiveness opens our heart to be able to plant seeds of trust again.

But remember: There must be more than apologies.  To earn your trust, your spouse needs to make some real changes.  Your spouse should recognize it was his sin that caused you to not trust him.  His goal is to restore trust by removing doubts.  Maybe they need to join a support group, talk to a mentor or be open and willing to prove his whereabouts as a form of accountability.

Prayer

Being intimate after infidelity is definitely something you have to pray about.  It’s something you need to submit to the Lord.  He will let you know when it is time, and He will help you follow through when you decide you’re ready to give yourself to your husband sexually again.  It’s not something you should rush into but it may happen quicker than you realize.  You may feel you need the assurance that your husband still wants you.  Or you may feel if he still wants you, then he needs to respect your timing of being intimate again.

Intentional Love Making

Be prepared the first time you’re intimate for raw emotions to make their way to the surface.  Heartache and pure love all together, pouring from your shattered heart.  Beforehand, ask your spouse to be patient, tender and understanding.

You may be craving that reassurance that they are still sexually attracted to you.  You may be feeling inadequate and unwanted, and need to know that they choose you over their infidelity. Bringing love-making back into your marriage can help with the healing process and allow you to focus on forgiveness instead of your own rejection.

There is no intimacy without an open heart.  When it is open, it has the capacity to generate love, warmth, affection and last but certainly not least…intimacy!

I know even reading this post made your heart ache and the tears flow.  I wish so very much I could reach through this screen and give you a big hug and just cry with you.  One day the hurt will be a little less, I promise.  And that will feel like the first “good day” you’ve ever had.  And each week, there will be more glimpses of sunshine.  Eventually your good days will run together, and smiles and laughter will abound.  One day, you will look back on this horrible time and be thankful for it.  Thankful for the love that grows deeper with each passing day, tested by fire and found strong enough to stand again.  Trust me, you will get there if you allow God to heal your heart and your marriage.  He brings beauty from the ashes.

You will move on past this.  You will hold your head high, knowing the storm may have knocked you down but it didn’t win.

 

Let’s be real for a minute, sometimes it feels like sex is just too complicated.  You’re sleep deprived, the bills seem never-ending, the house needs cleaned, dishes need done and add in the everyday stress…all libido-suppressing.  It just seems easier to leave sex for another day.

Today I want to encourage you not to give up and not to let go of pursuing sex and intimacy in your marriage.  Embracing and enjoying your sexuality will seem challenging at times, even overwhelming, but we need to be purposeful about cultivating intimacy and passion in our marriage.  It takes time, energy and effort, but if you are intentional about it, your marriage will benefit and grow.

How can you keep intimacy alive?  You have to desire it.  You have to want it.  You have to be deliberate about it.  You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach the goal.  You have to engage your heart fully in the joyful pursuit.  Today I am sharing 16 ways to get started.

16 Ways To Make Your Marriage Sizzle

1.  Know your worth

We’re so busy feeling fat or saggy or inadequate that we can scarcely imagine feeling sexual.  Study after study would show that the vast majority of husbands desire their wives – and they want wives who want to fully participate in sex and embrace it for the gift it is.  The hang up about body appearance is more about our own insecurities than it is about their expectations.  Nurturing sexual intimacy to its fullest in your marriage has so much to do with embracing the beauty and femininity of who you are.  And you are beautiful.  When he tells you he thinks you are beautiful and sexy, he really does mean it.  Believe him.  Accept the compliment and embrace it.  Embrace him and his love.

2.  Buy new undies

And for goodness sake, throw away those granny panties you’ve had since your last pregnancy.  Look for some Victoria’s Secret or Aerie coupons and go do some shopping.  You can normally find some pretty good sales, like 7 pair for $25.  Listen ladies, that’s a small price to pay for how good you’ll feel.  You’ll be surprised at how sexy you feel just knowing you have them on.  Maybe even shock your hubby and buy a thong or a cheeky cut.

3.  Pursue your spouse

Pursuit, to most men, means feeling desired (ladies, read that as “sex”) and affirmed through respect, honor and appreciation.  Most women, on the other hand, are more likely to want to be pursued through time, attention and tenderheartedness (guys, read that as “romance”).

Write him love notes and tuck them in his lunchbox.  Send him a racy text (I highly suggest knowing the location of his phone before this one. Remember…on smart phones, said text will pop up on the screen.)  Tell him how much you appreciate him.  Buy the stinkin’ lingerie that he likes on you, even if you feel it’s a waste of money.  Kiss him and hold his hand, even if you’re in a horribly long checkout line at Wal-Mart.  Read Song of Solomon out loud together each night before bed.  Pursue that man’s heart daily.

4.  Kiss

Kiss a lot.  Make out in the kitchen while cooking dinner.  Kiss in the living room while watching TV.  It’s good for your kids to see you give your spouse love.  That they can see we are still pursuing our spouses heart.  The byproduct is that our children can watch their parents dating.  When children see their parents giving each other time, affection, and respect it is a reassurance of our love and makes them feel secure.

5.  Have fun

When was the last time you did something with the purposeful intention of just having fun together?  One of my favorite things my husband and I have in common is a love for laughter.  Actually, his ability to make me laugh was one of the reasons I fell head over heals for him.  Plan a spontaneous adventure and surprise your spouse with it.   This could be a night away (minus kids) or even a little mini-date.  See a funny movie together, or take in a comedy show.  Let your hair down and get silly: have a pillow fight or a tickle war.

6.  Sex is about you too girl

The world loves to lie to us.  One of those lies is that sex is something we do for our husband.  That way of thinking limits true intimacy in your marriage and creates resentment.  Remember, God gave us the ability to have an orgasm as well.  Take the time to identify things that make you feel sexy and begin pursuing those things (like buying sexy undies).  Begin thinking about, talking about, and doing things in bed that feel good to you.  Initiate sex once in a while and be an active participant in your own sex life.

7.  Focus on the positive

Remember the reasons you fell in love with your spouse?  It’s super easy to focus on what annoys us about our spouse, but that is definitely a passion killer.  Passion can’t co-exist with negativity.  So, develop a habit of being grateful and appreciative.  Guard your heart against taking the good parts of your marriage for granted.  Say thank you.  Plain and simple.  Thank them for big and little things.  Thank them for doing dishes, laundry or fixing your car.  I even thank my husband for just loving me (because I am fully aware there are days that can’t be easy).  Take some time to sit down together and make a list of the top five body parts you love (and think are super hot) about your spouse. Guys, your wife is likely in a body-image battle, even if you think she shouldn’t be.  This will mean the absolute world to her.

8.  Say I love you

Say if often.  Say it every chance you get.  Before you leave in the morning, at the end of a phone call, in a text during the work day, before bed or across the room.  Don’t ever let them wonder how you feel.

9.  Quickies can be your friend

Don’t be a high maintenance lover that needs a long list of “things” before sex can happen.  Give the kids ice cream for dinner, turn on some Spongebob…and lock your bedroom door.  The house won’t burn down and ice cream won’t kill them.  Grab the moments you can.  It will make the rest of the day just a little bit better.

10.  Get creative

Don’t become a predictable lover.  God has given us such freedom in this arena.  Consider having an open discussion with your spouse on what you feel is okay and what your boundaries are.  Just follow some general rules…it’s just the two of you, you allow mutual respect and agreement to guide your choices, it causes no pain physically, emotionally, or spiritually and you keep the focus on your relationship.

Sometimes, people shy away from certain sexual acts because they call them “dirty” or “kinky” or “weird”.  The truth is, if you and your spouse agree to try something (even if it’s weird) and you enjoy it, it is certainly ok for you to try during sex as long as it follows the basic guidelines.  So by all means, experiment and add some variety to your sex life!

11.  Touch is powerful

Every night when my husband and I go to bed, we touch somehow.  It may be me laying in his arms or me snuggling up against his back.  Sometimes we even hold hands while we sleep.  Moving across the bed to touch him will show your husband that you desire and love him and find comfort in his touch.

12.  It takes time for women

Men can become aroused in 2 to 3 minutes (and sometimes 30 seconds!)—but women take 10 times a long.  Women take 20 to 30 minutes to become as aroused as men.  So women, it helps to start thinking about your later randevu earlier in the day.  Do a little planning, send a sexy text and get creative.

13.  72 hours

Did you know that men are actually created to need a sexual release about every three days?  I never knew that either until a few years ago.  Cindy Dagnan writes, “Sex is as necessary as breathing for most men… because of the periodic buildup of seminal fluid, they actually need it.”  For most men, this buildup takes only about seventy-two hours.  We need to be intentional on how we love on our husbands.

14.  Oral sex

Two words I never thought I’d say on this blog.  Just typing that made me sweat.  Y’all, my Mama reads my blog!

Christians will never fully agree on this topic and whether it’s permissible in marriage.  No clearly spelled out command exists in the Bible regarding oral sex, which means we are left to our own prayerful interpretation.  If we feel it is okay for a husband to kiss his wife’s neck, hand, naval or her forehead then how can we rationalize that her entire body is not permissible ground.  The same goes with a wife kissing her husband’s body.  So, yes, I do believe oral sex is permissible within marriage.  Song of Solomon 2:3 says Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men.  In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.  

15.  Plan sex

We live busy lives with full schedules.  Some days everyone is running in different directions.  It’s easy for sex to become an afterthought.  As weird as it sounds, putting sex on your calendar works.  We need to intentionally plan for what is important to us.  There isn’t any wrong schedule…1, 2 or 3 times a week.  With some spontaneous times sprinkled in if the opportunity arises.

16.  Pray Together

I have to admit, when we bow our heads to pray Sunday mornings, I can’t wait to slip my hand into my husbands.  There is just something so amazingly intimate about praying together!  I totally understand that not everyone is comfortable praying out loud {read this as ME} but it’s so worth it.  Just gather up the courage and pray with your man!

 

Last week we focused on God’s Design for sex in marriage.  We saw that the Bible is so so clear on the issue of sex and the beautiful gift it is.  This week we’re going to focus on why should we wait until marriage.

The world we live in loves to tell us lies wrapped up in pretty little packages.  If it feels good, do it.  You deserve to be happy.  Follow your heart.  It’s your body to do with what you want.  Lies can sound so true when people are starving for truth.

It would be easy to just say wait because the Bible said ya’ll and end my post.  But that’s unfair, and honestly how well has that been working?

An article in Relevant magazine, titled “(Almost) Everyone’s Doing It,” cited a study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, which included information on sexual activity.  While the study’s primary report did not explore religion, some additional analysis focusing on sexual activity and religious identification yielded this result: 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults (18 to 29) said that they have had sex – slightly less than 88 percent of unmarried adults, according to the teen pregnancy prevention organization.

We have seen so many movements such as “True Love Waits,” encourage teens to wear purity rings, sign virginity pledges and pledge chastity during public ceremonies.  Yet many of these Christian youths eventually tuck their purity rings in a drawer, forget about the purity pledgs they signed and forget about waiting.

Doesn’t it feel like nearly everyone, even your Christian friends, are having sex?  I remember that feeling, all your friends sitting at the lunch table chattering about their “hook up” that weekend.  And what did I have to offer?  Oh, I spent my wild Saturday night watching Little House on the Prarie and then read a book before bed.  Fascinating.

Y’all, I understand and I get it!

And I truly believe the only way to change that is to expose the lies you’ve been told about sex.  So today, we will focus on 10 of those lies.

Lie #1 – Casual sex is THE best

Listen guys, while it may seem like the best it literally has nothing on marital sex.  It doesn’t even compare.  It is second-best sex.

Journalist George Leonard observed that

casual recreational sex is hardly a feast – not even a good hearty sandwich.  It is a diet of fast food served in plastic containers.  Life’s feast is available only to those who are willing and able to engage life on a deeply personal level, giving all, holding back nothing. (Quoted by Joyce Huggett in Dating, Sex & Friendship, InterVarsity Press, p. 82.)

The University of Chicago did an exhaustive study in sexuality and found that the people who are having the most sex and who are the most satisfied happen to be conservative Christians in monogamous marital relationships.

Lie #2 – Sex is the next step when two people love each other

The truth is sex outside of God’s design is not love, it’s lust.  Love is sacrificially seeking what’s best for the other person.  Lust is selfishly seeking what will make me happy in the moment.

God designed sex to be a beautiful expression of love in marriage.  Sex prior to marriage (even by a day) is lust, is a distortion of God’s creation, and hurts us and the person we love (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

Lie #3 – Sex creates intimacy

You’ve heard “sex brings you closer”.  And that is somewhat true.  The Bible says that sex causes “two people to become one.”  That means it’s more than just a physical act, it’s also a spiritual encounter (Mark 10:6-9).

The feeling of intimacy is created by a “chemical cocktail” that is produced in the brain during sex and stays with each person for up to 24 hours after intercourse.

On the other hand, having sex is no guarantee that the deep emotional intimacy that everyone longs for will develop.

Alice Fryling, in an article titled, “Why Wait for Sex?” writes:

“Genital sex is an expression of intimacy, not the means to intimacy. True intimacy springs from verbal and emotional communion. True intimacy is built on a commitment to honesty, love and freedom. True intimacy is not primarily a sexual encounter. Intimacy, in fact, has almost nothing to do with our sex organs. A prostitute may expose her body, but her relationships are hardly intimate.”

Premarital sexual intercourse may actually hinder intimacy.  Donald Joy writes that indulging in sexual intercourse prematurely short-circuits the emotional bonding process.  He cites one study of 100,000 women that links early sexual experience with dissatisfaction in their present marriages, unhappiness with the level of sexual intimacy and a prevalence of low self-esteem (Christianity Today, October 3, 1986).

Lie #4 – There is something wrong with you if you aren’t having sex

I have a daughter that is saving her first kiss for her wedding day.  So believe me, we’ve heard all about how weird that is.  Saving your first kiss and saving yourself just aren’t the norm in this world.

This can be a very intimdating lie.  Um, hello, no teenage girl wants her friends to think that she is a weirdo wack-a-loon for saving herself.

The facts are that premature sex is bad for your emotional, physical and cultural health.  The February 1991 issue of the journal Pediatrics reported that researchers at Indiana University found that sexually active teenagers are more likely to be prone to alcohol abuse and illegal drugs, and are more likely to have trouble in school.  They reported that sexually active girls were more likely to be depressed, have low self esteem, feel lonely or attempt suicide.

Premarital sex could very well be bad for the emotional health of your future marriage.  It lays the groundwork for comparison once you’re married.  I realize that doens’t make sense to you know, but hang in there with me for a second.  You are engaged but you know your fiance had sex with her previous boyfriend.  There may come a time when you think “Why would she ever settle for only me?”  After you’re married, some night you may want sex but your husband had a long day and is too tired.  You could be left laying in the dark thinking “I bet he doesn’t think I’m as attractive as she was”.  This is how sex now causes comparison in your marriage later.

Premarital sex is also bad for your physical health.  Y’all, STDs are on the rise.  There are 110 million cases of STDs with 20 million of them being new.  And 10 million of those cases are between the ages of 15-24.  How can you avoid getting an STD?  From the CDCs website “The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have sex”.

Lie #5 – You need to know if you’re sexually compatable before marriage

Y’all have heard this one…no one would buy a car without test driving it first.

Remember the comparison we talked about above?  This mentality just sets that into place.  If you believe you would never struggle with comparison, then why need to “test drive” anything?

How do you avoid comparison?  Only have one partner.  Then you’ll always think they’re the best automatically!

Partners can also feel threatened if they think their mate could be comparing them with previous partners.  You need to protect the emotional safety that your spouse will need to feel in marriage starting now.

“Sexual baggage doesn’t unpack itself, it simply slips into the bed beside you and makes connecting with your spouse in spirit and truth, that much harder to do.”  Joy from Simply Bloom

Lie #6 – Sex is bad

Well-meaning Christians have said this thinking it will help to avoid pre-marital sex.  What it actually does is have us bring that mindset into our marriages, and our intimacy suffers as a refult.

Sex is good.  Hello, God created it…He called it “good,” and it existed before there was any sin in the world.  Sex was not created by satan, Playboy, the internet or some creepy pervert lurking in the shadows of a porn shop.  However, God wants us to keep sex within his intentions and requirements, not the world’s.  God designed sex for the sacred union of marriage between a man and a woman, and reserves it for that union.

Lie #7 – It’s the twentieth century, I’m sure God understands that

I mean, surely the Scriptures on sexual purity are outdated and archaic.  Back then people got married when they were teens so they don’t understand the struggle.

While it’s easy to feel that way, it’s wrong.  To say that we’d also have to say the entire Bible is out dated.

Take a second and read 1 Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19, Hebrews 13:4 and Deuteronomy 22:13-28.  They all talk about sex before marriage.  God knew how hard it was gonig to be guys!

Scripture is clear.  Sexual intercourse outside the bonds of marriage is sin.  Even if we had no other evidence, God’s word makes it clear that sex outside of marriage is not only outside our best interests, but it is also wrong.

I don’t think that God gave these rules because He is just out to ruin our fun.  Actually the opposite.  Because God created us and because He loves us more than we can ever know, He has told us how to have the best, most satisfying sexual experiences: in marriage!  That’s where sex is fun!  Abstaining from premarital sex and being faithful to your spouse is not a denial of your rights or pleasure.  It is choosing to experience sex in the healthiest, happiest context.

Additionally, if scriptures in the Bible became untrue because people can’t control their desires, then we’d also have to cut out the commandments on murder, stealing, lying, cheating and having affairs.

Lie #8 – Sex is just physical, that’s it

Culture tells us sex is just physical.  We want to believe we can get physical satisfaction without emotional or spiritual consequences.

The truth is sex is an intimate exchange that binds two people together.

God created this awesome thing to happen when we have sex.  Oxytocin, a hormone produced primarily in women’s bodies, helps women become bonded to the object of her affection.  So when a woman becomes intimate with a man, her body releases Oxytocin and she becomes emotionally bonded to him.  Also the brain produces lots of Dopamine during sex – a powerful chemical, which is compared to heroin on the brain.  Men produce Vasopressin which serves the same purpose as Oxytocin.  These chemicals create an emotional bond between the couple.  The more we do it the stronger the bond.

Sounds great right?  But here is where sex before marriage causes an issue with this.  The more people we do it with, the harder it becomes to form that bond with the next person.  What if by the time you get married that chemical reaction isn’t happening anymore?  That’s why God designed sex for marriage.  When we have sex, we physically, emotionally and spiritually become one.

Lie #9 – Everyone is doing it

I can assure you, not everyone is doing it.  But it sure does feel that way sometimes.  Read #4 again.

In every school, every town, every state there are plenty of cool, happy people who have chosen to follow God’s plan and save sex for marriage.  And they’re also saving themselves all kinds of heartache.

Lie #10 – If you’ve had sex before marriage, you are damaged goods

Listen to me carefully, this couldn’t be further from the truth.  I can’t honestly believe that if Jesus was talking to a room full of teenagers, He would say they were damaged goods.

It is interesting when Jesus walked on this earth He talked to a lot of women who were “damaged goods”.  Women who had a past, a background, a life before they met Jesus.  Not once did He ever use a phrase like damaged goods.  He used words of love and forgiveness, He used words that gave life and asked them to leave their life of sin but He didn’t condemn them.

Take a look at the account of Jesus’ ancestors in Matthew 1:1-16.  First we see Tamar who solicited sex with her father-in-law.  Then we see Rahab who was clearly a prostitute.  Ruth is next, identified as a true woman of virtue.  The fourth woman is identified as Uriah’s wife, she was seduced by David while her husband was at war.  Lastly is Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Mary is a virgin and wasn’t part of any sexual scandal.  Five women are included, mostly poor, mostly misfits, widows, unimportant, unknown, sinful women who changed the course of history by their simple, obedient lives.  This is no oversight on God’s part.  I think He intentionally chose women we can relate to.  In this list are women and men who are like us.  Some sinned sexually.  Others were deeply affected by the moral climate around them.  But these were the people in the lineage of Jesus.

No sexual sin is beyond God’s forgiveness.  Thankfully, He doesn’t withhold forgiveness or grace from those who ask for it.  God not only fully forgives, He also fully redeems.  He’s using sinful people, like you and me, to build his Kingdom.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin