I don’t know if you’ve ever walked into a place where you wore a Scarlett letter and everyone knew you were a failure, but I’ll say it changed me.
Not because of the shame- that surely could have turned me bitter. It was for the compassion, the stepping in with physical bodies and saying, “Today we sacrifice. Today we physically stand with you.”
Or in this instance sit with you. It was after Nato and I had separated, when I decided to go to church , beaten and bruised with the the letter “I” on my entire body and soul : INFIDELITY.
One Sunday, I gathered my courage to go to church with a toddler and newborn. I found my friends amidst the church crowd and took a seat awkwardly.
But suddenly, Matthew and Kory (husbands of my BF’s) sandwiched me on the pew promptly. 2 strong pillars of belief: loyalty & promise—when I didn’t have it for myself.
Strength when I had none. They got my babies from nursery, walked me out, buckled them in. The stand in’s when you can’t stand.
Today I honor the father’s in my life who point me to Christ: my dad who taught me to fight & be a voice for the voiceless, my husband who taught me the strength in repentance (hardest of all), & our best friends who taught me how to sit with the suffering. They are my reminders of Jesus and his tender mercy toward me. I do not dare to understand God’s goodness to me.
Leave a Reply