Cross #15.5764

Kelly
St Petersburg, FL
Jesus gave me a gift I didn’t ask for or couldn’t have imagine.  In December 2015 I attended a women’s bible study and the host had a bunch of Answered Prayer crosses. I chose 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Little did I know that over the course of a year Jesus helped me to love and offer forgiveness and compassion in a way that transformed my life.  After starting a new business there have been a lot of ups and downs and way too much time on my hands. It has been a spiritual struggle for me to trust God and his plan for me. But, back in September I felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart to pray for my cousin and his wife and send them a short email telling them I was praying for him. My cousin called the next day and we had a wonderful conversation; at the end of the conversation we always ask what we can pray for. He asked me to pray for his older brother who was having a very difficult time and let him know that I was praying for him. This is the person who molested me as a child. After 24 hours of crying and prayer I felt the Holy Spirit call me to contact him and forgive him. After several emails where he asked to repent and reconcile I felt compelled to forgive him and have a conversation. When we spoke we closed the conversation with prayer for one another and I felt a peace that transcends all understanding. Thank you Jesus for the gift of love, because you first loved us!