you hear His words of conviction will change your life and
very possibly change or save the lives of others by the way
you respond.
God Talks to You With Words of Forgiveness
Earlier this week, I received an email from someone I met
recently.
When I delivered a second chapel presentation on her
campus, Kelly 3 was the last of nearly one hundred students
who waited afterward for prayer. By this time I was running
late. I should have been on the road for another meeting over
an hour earlier! But just as I was about to walk away from my
assigned “last student” and pack up to travel south, Kelly
added herself to the line. I turned to her and said politely, “I
really can’t stay any longer,” but there was so much distress
on her face, I stopped and took a deep breath before saying or
doing anything more. In that moment, I felt like two strong
hands were pressing down on my shoulders—holding my feet
stationary.
Over the next ten minutes, this eighteen-year-old young
woman physically shook as she told her story of a broken
home life, drinking and sexual experimentation at a very early
age, a rape, and an addiction to alcohol that was obsessively
controlling her. Humiliated and afraid as she was to tell anyone,
especially on her campus, she had hoped I could at least
understand her shame.
Understand? I couldn’t hold back my tears. I put my two
hands on her shoulders and prayed for many things, but
especially for God to give her peace, to forgive her, and