Thank you and more...

Thank you for joining me these past few days. I pray you found hope and encouragement from this sample of what is waiting for you in my book, Keep Walking - 40 Days to Hope and Freedom After Betrayal.

Readers of Keep Walking will find comfort in knowing they are not alone on the journey of recovery after betrayal . They will discover helpful tools and life-giving truths. They will find the courage to put one shakey foot in front of the other. Each reading includes biblical truth, a daily affirmation, questions for reflection and practical ways to respond.

You will find more information on my website.

And I invite you to join me on my facebook author page for information and inspiration that will keep you moving forward.

I am praying for you.

With love,
Lynn

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5

Deep in space there is a vivid reminder of a God who sees it all. The Helix Nebula, as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, is often referred to as the Eye of God. One morning, I opened my email and a friend had sent a picture of the Helix Nebula with a simple but profound message, God sees.

God sees you. He sees your tears. He sees how you have been hurt. He sees it all. He sees us all.

Hagar was the maidservant of Sarai, Abram’s wife. She was caught in the middle of the long-awaited promise for a son. When Sarai got impatient with God, she took matters into her own hands. She gave her maidservant to her husband Abram, and Hagar became pregnant. How that ever seemed like a solution or a realization of the promise is beyond me. There was very little love in Hagar’s corner of the love triangle. Before long Sarai turned on her and mistreated her. Then Abram abandoned her. Hagar took her son and ran away.

But God met her in that lonely place, and when he did, Hagar came to know him in a new way, by a new name.  

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi” (Gen. 16:13–14). “Beer Lahai Roi” means, “well of the Living One who sees me.' God became the life-giving spring in Hagar’s desert.

I pray God will meet you in each lonely moment and remind you of his promise, that you will come to know him through this season in a new way and by a new name. He is the God who sees you.

Today I will remember God sees me.

Reflect and Respond:

Have you felt like running away? How is moving forward different from running away?

“Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands” (Isa. 49:16 AMP).

Look at the palm of your hand. See how close you are to God’s face. What does he see as he looks at you today?

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Ps. 139:7–10).

Excerpt from Keep Walking  - 40 Days to Hope and Freedom After Betrayal, Day 4

I could tell something was wrong the minute I walked in the door. I was unpacking my suitcase when my husband confessed to relapsing while I was out of town. Part of me was thankful for his honesty, but the other part was furious. I had the sudden urge to throw my shoes at him. But why bother? What damage would flip-flops do?

I thought about throwing things a lot. I was so angry.

Often when people introduce me, they use words like “sweet” and “kind.' Anger is out of character for me. But it got so bad that I started swearing. I’d never sworn in my life! I would close the door to our bedroom, close the door to our bathroom, close the door to the little toilet room, and let the ugly, angry words loose.

I read the story of Jesus overthrowing the tables in the temple, and somehow I felt understood. The merchants in the temple yard were shortchanging the people who came to worship. They were cheating them, robbing them, betraying them. I was not alone in my anger.

Looking back I see my anger as a gift. Who knows how long I would have stayed stuck without anger to wake me up out of my sleep-like state of denial.

Are you angry? Don’t condemn yourself for feeling that way. You have a valid reason for anger.

Anger is typically a secondary emotion. It follows on the heels of other feelings. So look for the primary emotions under the surface of your anger. Are you sad? Lonely? Tired? Stressed?

The truth is I was okay being sad. I was okay being lonely. Sure, I was tired and stressed. But the anger scared me. I knew I had to do something. My increasing anger was what finally motivated me to get help.

Psalm 4:4 (NKJV) says, “Be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.” 

Don’t stew in your anger, but do pay attention. Take some time tonight to search your heart and be silent.

Today I will allow my anger to be the catalyst for growth and change.

Reflect and Respond:

In Ephesians 4:26, Paul quotes Psalm 4:4 with added emphasis, “'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” When we were first married I thought this passage meant that we had to resolve each and every conflict before our heads hit the pillows. Imagine two exhausted, emotionally flooded people trying to solve their problems at 2am. It is helpful to separate releasing anger from resolving conflict. When emotions are high sometimes it is better to take a break and come back to the issue after you’ve gotten some rest.

I prefer the Psalmist’s advice, it is much less volatile. It may take a while for you to quiet your heart and really be still. Practice few minutes of silence right now.

It is important that you find a safe way to dissipate anger. Here are some suggestions: Punch a pillow. Call a friend who will listen to you vent. Type a letter you will never send in all caps. Go for a run. Actually any form of exercise is a great place to start.

Excerpt from Keep Walking  - 40 Days to Hope and Freedom After Betrayal, Day 16

As our first couples’ counseling session wrapped up, we were each handed a survey to complete and turn in on our way out of class. I can still see the last question on the bottom right-hand corner of the page:

                             circle one:   Betrayed     or    Betrayer

After years of coping with denial, circling the word “Betrayed” was an ah-ha moment with a bite, but it was the beginning of help for me. I had been betrayed by my husband. He battled a secret life of addiction to pornography, and I was a casualty of that war.

The pain and brokenness of that moment were penetrated by one thought: I’m not the only one. I remembered a simple phrase quoted often during communion services: “on the night he was betrayed” (1 Cor. 11:23). Those words spoke solidarity.

Jesus had lived this moment. He had suffered this pain. Judas walked with Jesus as his disciple for three years and then betrayed him with the intimacy of a kiss. I wasn’t alone in this feeling or this experience.

You are not alone either.

The disappointment, the tears, the anger, and the fear are a human response to human suffering. Today I want to remind you that the Word became flesh. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He walked this earth in human form, and he knows how it feels to be betrayed by those closest to you.

When Jesus walked our dusty roads and saw the hurting people around him, he was moved with compassion. Maybe it was our shared humanity that moved him so. My prayer for you today is that you will feel his compassion wash over your own flesh and bone, that you will know you are never alone.

Today I will remember I am not alone.

Reflect and Respond:

 “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20 NLT).

 Imagine Jesus standing with you, moved with compassion, in the moment you discovered you had been betrayed. Feel his nearness.

If Jesus could write you a letter, what might he say about your experience as someone who has also felt the sting of betrayal?

Excerpt from Keep Walking  - 40 Days to Hope and Freedom After Betrayal, Day 1

Dear Friend,

For whatever pain has brought you to this moment, my heart is breaking with yours. I share your tears. I know betrayal feels like someone pulled the rug out from under you and your world is spinning right now. I believe I can offer hope and comfort from my own journey.

I am happy to announce that the original 21 day devotional has been upgraded in book form to 40 days. 

Keep Walking, 40 Days to Hope and Freedom After Betrayal

It will be released summer of 2016 and you can find more information on my website 

Until then, please join me on Facebook by liking my Author Page

Know that I am praying for you. There is freedom if you'll just Keep Walking

With love,
Lynn

P.S. You will continue to receive a FREE 3 day sample of the 40 day devotional