IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO FORGIVE!

It is never too late to Forgive.

Even if it has been 35 Years AGO!

A day of fasting and prayer was all I needed to see what the Holy Spirit wanted me to do. The day after Thanksgiving, November 23, 2007, I spent fasting and praying. The days following, the Holy Spirit was putting things in my heart that he wanted me to do, finding my stepmother was one of those things.  See it had been 35 years since I had seen her and I didn’t even know if she was still alive. I knew if she was, she would be 76 years old. I did a people search for her and found where she had last lived in 2005 so I decided to take the two-hour drive and see if I could find her. I located her home, there was a little hanging basket with magazines with her name on them but no one was at home.

So then I drove to the address where I believed my stepsister lived. Again no one was home. I just knew the Lord wouldn’t put this in my heart for no reason so I was not ready to give up. I drove back to the little house of my stepmother and this time the magazines were gone, so I knew someone had been there. Again I went to the door but no one was home. I even went up to a couple of the neighbor’s doors but no one knew her. So I drove back to the house that I believed to be my stepsister’s and this time I saw another vehicle in the driveway. I went back to the door, but no one answered. I decided to try the back door and my stepsister came out. She had no idea who I was but I knew it was her. I told her who I was and she looked shocked to see me after all these years. I asked her where my stepmother was and she told me she was in ICU, she told me she had had a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving. I told my stepsister the Lord had put it in my heart to come visit my stepmother and let her know I had forgiven her and my father for all that happened to me when I was a teen. What surprised me was to find out my stepsister had no idea about the sexual abuse that was going on during my teen years. No one had ever told her anything about it, (she is about 3 years older than I am). Our conversation was very limited and I believe the Lord wanted it that way with the timing of my visit! I felt I shouldn’t mention anything to her about the verbal abuse of my stepmother. The Lord knew the perfect timing for me to go so I wouldn’t say too much but I did leave with her an audio bible and player to give my stepmother. I went to the hospital and was able to visit my stepmother for a few minutes. I let her know the Lord loves her and that I have forgiven her and my father. I still have the memories and the scars, but my wounds are healed. One thing I have learned is not to hide our scars, but to use them to glorify the Lord.

The Lord can turn anything into a blessing if we trust him! Our scars are our testimonies.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

UPDATE~ On September 23, 2010, two years and 10 months from the date of that visit my stepmother passed away. Whether she turned to the Lord I do not know but I do know it was the Lord’s will that I forgave her.

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Olbermann: Amish Forgiveness is Christ Like

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