Spring Hope is the story of my journey to forgiveness with my brother. Forgiving seems to be one of the most difficult things for Christians to do. Jesus told us it is something we must do as we are forgiven by Him. I’ve read so many books lately with forgiving as one of the main threads of the plot. The threads range from forgiving someone who has hurt the character in the past to forgiving someone of going against everything a Christian holds dear.
Jesus doesn’t care how small or
how great our sin is. A white lie or fib is as big a sin as murder because
there are no degrees of sin. We are all guilty, and Jesus forgave us with His
life, so how much more should we be able to sacrifice our feelings and forgive
another person.
My hero followed the same path of
forgiveness that I took with my brother nearly thirty years ago. I was in my
forties and for years had denied I even had brother because of his lifestyle and
numerous imprisonments from Texas to Kansas to Georgia. My fear lay in the fact
that I didn’t want my Christian friends to know about him because they might
think less of me.
Coming face to face with my own
sin of being unforgiving opened my eyes to truths I had denied for many years.
Once my eyes were opened, peace came and the love I had for my brother as a
child returned. God forgave my brother who became a Christian in prison, and I
had to forgive him, too, or make a mockery of my own Christianity.
Yes, hurts do run deep, and
forgiving takes much more than many of us want to give. We have no choice
because Jesus gave us a commandment that we must follow or be disobedient. Let
us open our hearts and let His love flow through us as we forgive others who
have sinned against us.
My brother is still in prison,
but he is a redeemed child of God, and I love him.
My prayer is that as you read
Spring Hope, you will draw closer to the Lord as you think of people in your
own life who may need your forgiving heart.
Spring Hope
Libby Cantrell’s life has gone from bad to worse since her
mother’s death. With an abusive father, and life in a brothel, she sees no hope
for her future until she gains the courage to make her escape one cold winter
night.
When she arrives exhausted, hungry, and ill in Portersfield,
Texas, Sheriff Cory Muldoon finds her in an alley and takes her to a doctor.
Against Cory’s better judgment, Seth and Erin Winston take her in and offer her
a job as a nanny for their young son. As a minister, Seth sees it as his duty
to take care of the young woman. As a deputy, Cory sees it as his duty to find
out the truth about her even as he is attracted to the waif of a young woman.
An unexpected late winter storm and an accident at the river brings the two of
them even closer.
As his love for her
grows and winter becomes spring, will he be able to accept her as she is now
and truly forget and forgive her sordid past?
Set in the late 1800s, Seasons of
the Heart weaves together the stories of four women whose great faith make a
difference in the lives of the men they love. The series moves from Connecticut
to Texas as it follows the lives of these women and their families as they find
true love and bond in friendship only God could orchestrate.
Answer the following question for an opportunity to win a birthday gift from me including a copy of the book and a Starbucks Gift Card.
Why is forgiving others so difficult thing for Christians?
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Please: US and Canada only. Leave your email address so you will be notified about winning. The drawing will be after midnight on Friday, June 22.
