How God’s Love Healed My Heart

I was in a season where everything in my life seemed to be going wrong. My marriage was falling apart, I was laid off from my job where I had worked for 18 years, and one of my closest friends abandoned our ten-year friendship. I felt hopeless and alone. I questioned everything about my life, and I felt like I did not even know who I was/supposed to be. Fear and overwhelming sadness made it difficult to do anything. I believe God gave me the strength to still care for my two young children. I knew I had to keep going for their sake. As I cried to God, I would hear a song on the radio, or read a verse that would give me some encouragement. I started to memorize bible verses and write/print them out and place them around the house where I would see them throughout the day. I remember one particular verse about forgiveness (Mark 11:25). I told God I did not know how to forgive but I would keep repeating the verse until He showed me how. I also stumbled into another verse (Isaiah 43:18, 19) about not focusing on the past and trusting that God was doing new things in and around me. I didn’t believe any of it at first, but I kept meditating on the verses and saying them out loud to God. Eventually, I started to feel different inside. I found more bible verses, songs, and sermons that focused on God’s love. His love became real and I remember feeling peaceful inside even though not much in my circumstances had changed. I continued to fall in love with God’s word and Jesus became so real to me. I “heard” Him speak through songs, people, nature, dreams, sermons, bible studies and eventually my circumstances began to change. I saw God do miracles in my marriage, my family, my job and most significantly in my own heart. His love transformed how I felt about myself and I felt loved, restored, and accepted by Jesus. This changed how I viewed others, my life and all situations. His love continues to change me daily and I am so grateful to have a Savior who loves me so much.