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“What I’m saying is, all it takes is one person to bring about change. It may seem a daunting task at times. You might downright hate it. But just follow the path God has called you to. And when you feel like complaining about someone else, be the person you wish they’d be.”
“Surrender, Lily. Let God mend all those broken pieces of your heart. He’s the only One who can.”
The thing was, the longer he walked in darkness, the farther from the light he got. He’d buried himself too deep. There was no way out for him. Not until he retired from the FBI and got as far away from Denver as possible. Maybe then he could outrun his sins and their consequences.
“That God is sovereign and just. And sometimes what we view as suffering, or unloving, or tragedies…well, God has a way of turning those around not only for His glory but also to benefit us.”
I’ve held onto the past with such a tight grip that I haven’t been able to accept His forgiveness and peace. Instead, I’ve let pain, anger, and fear rule me.”
He looked at her a long moment. “You’re welcome, Lily.” As he walked away, she swore she heard him whisper, “You deserve so much.”
Lily, I know you have a habit of “losing” your journal pages. But I hope that this journal will be different for you. Maybe instead of filling it with the past, you can fill it with your hopes and dreams for the future. -Malcolm
Maybe God is bringing them together so they can help each other heal.”
Levi let his leg go and turned his beaming face to Malcolm’s. “I knew you’d be here today.” “Oh yeah? How’s that?” He hadn’t even known for sure if he was coming until he’d pulled into the parking lot. “Because I prayed you would come,” Levi replied.
But God was just. God was loving, even when things didn’t seem that way. And God was a God of redeeming forgiveness.
Run to the cross, Mac. God’s grace is big enough to cover it all.”
“Which is why I’m done trying to make sense out of all the things I don’t understand. Though He slays me, I’ll praise Him.”
“I will do everything in my power to prove to you how much I care about you, Lily Cooper.”
Something inside Lily cracked open and through many tears, she told Shaniece everything. The two wept at the pain of their past, and then Shaniece said a prayer for Lily, asking God to heal her and lead her. For the first time since she’d opened up, Lily found peace slowly but surely reaching into the deepest and most damaged places of her heart. The tension she’d been carrying for years melted away, releasing her from her prison of guilt and shame.
Then again, faith wasn’t about trusting in himself. It was about putting trust in the One who created everything and held it in His mighty hands.
We’re in Christ and there is no condemnation. Who am I to condemn you when Christ has forgiven and wiped your slate clean?”
“God’s forgiveness and love reach down to the deepest and darkest pit. Nothing and no one is out of His reach.”
This was the life he wanted. A life where he could take care of the little boy snuggled up behind him. A life where he could show Lily every day how much he loved her. A life that was full of laughter, kisses, and motorcycle rides.
Though their lives had intertwined in a horrible way so many years ago, Lily was in awe of how God had redeemed something so horrible into something so wonderful and beautiful.
