Freedom is the theme of many people’s lives, many of whom have stories that follow a common plot that goes something like this.
My childhood was one of great fear. Growing up with an alcoholic parent who frequently had bouts of drinking, followed by fits of rage, I learned to run and hide. While my parent tried to hold us all together, I continued to withdraw.
Amid my parent’s alcoholic fury, they would often spew abusive and belittling words over me and my siblings. I lived in fear, and carried a deep sense of rejection, mistrust and hopelessness into my adult years.
I just longed to be loved by my parent.
When I was young someone shared the love of Jesus with me. They gave me a small Bible and prayed with me.
My cry to Jesus brought a sense of joy, but the exhilaration would dissolve in time because there was no one to mentor me. But God continued to love me, even though I was a shattered little child.
I looked for anything that would help me get away from my explosive home life. So, I moved in with someone who offered me what looked like love and safety.
We eventually married, but I soon realized that they were bound by alcoholism the same way that my parent was.
To my dismay, the nightmare persisted.
After our first baby was born, I was desperate for some encouragement and hope.
So, I started thinking about that little Bible and the things someone shared with me when I was a child.
I eventually decided to connect with a group of followers of Christ and I became excited to learn more about Jesus and God’s Word.
Yet, I was terrified someone would find out what my home life was like. So, I continued to hide.
Then one day I heard about a Bible study that was being held nearby. It was about being healed and set free, so I signed up.
It was a decision that would change my life forever.
This wonderful study took me into God’s word, and for the first time in my life I realized what Jesus did for me at the cross and that the sin of not forgiving my parent broke God’s heart.
I started seeing my parent now with the love and forgiveness of Christ. I started praying for my parent, enabled by the fact that I felt the love of Christ flowing out of me for them.
Now I could visit with them, free from hostility and anxiety.
It happened that my parent became seriously ill, so they chose to stop drinking.
During that time, they began to seek the Lord and read the Bible.
As I visited them, we would have many conversations about the Lord.
Then one amazing day, my parent asked me, “Could you forgive me for all the wrong I have done to you?”
Without hesitation, I exclaimed, “I have already forgiven you.”
It was a magnificent moment for both of us.
Because the Lord had showed me the way of freedom and forgiveness, I was able to spend the final days of my parent’s life on this Earth in a loving relationship with them.
This is the story of many lives.
Freedom is the theme of countless testimonies.