I am shout-it-from-the-rooftops excited to share this book with you. Over the last few weeks I have gotten to know Crystal Sutherland through Facebook and through her shared heart and, boy, does she have a story to tell.
Hope and healing pulse through the pages of her book, Journey to Heal: Seven Essential Steps of Recovery for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, where she lays a tender path of Jesus love to survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Keep reading to learn how you can win a SIGNED COPY and a journal from Crystal! Giveaway is now closed!!
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They say if you love something you let it go. That’s stupid, by the way, at least most of the time. Sure, there’s an element of truth, but it’s also a lot of nonsense. I love my daughters so I would never “let them go” in to a busy parking lot… see what I mean? Here’s the truth: If you love something (or someone), you will refine it.
When I say, “I love you,” what I mean is that my heart doesn’t know what it’s like to not know you. I mean that I didn’t know what love really felt like until I saw you. What I want to say is that I will never be able to stop, even if I tried. I am saying that you forever changed me and I am forever grateful for it. When I say, “I love you,” I am extending open hands to you to feed you, clothe you, catch you when you fall, help you stand, steady your steps, dance, cook, mend, cradle, embrace, play, check for fevers, and tickle.
It’s not yet evening here on the front and the sun is casting lines across the floor in an early evening warmth. We are coming off several festive weeks filled with parties, food, and gift giving. It was a beautiful time of year but somehow had a way of highlighting our weaknesses. This year, in our service to our Lord, the colorful, twinkling lights of the festival shot rays through the fractures in our framework – some big, others barely noticeable. We know that these fractures are merely reminders of the Lord’s ongoing work in the hearts of the children, and ourselves, but we are also aware of our duty to mend, repair, and strengthen these gaps in our training.
What we are so aware of is that we walk a fine line between training disciples in deed and discipling the heart. Our primary goal is not to cultivate good people, but redeemed people; not to encourage morals, but to encourage godliness. As we know, good behavior is not the desired end, although it is a side benefit, but it is a knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that lies front, center, and alone on our vision board. No matter our striving, it is He who has set a standard of perfection that we cannot attain. Therefore, we lose the hold we have on striving for goodness and, instead, pursue the cultivation of a redemptive relationship with Him in the hearts of even our youngest disciple. Out of that relationship, we earnestly pray, will come Christ-driven morality, but we must confess that we find ourselves putting the proverbial cart before the horse. |
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