Choosing to Take the High Road

I wanted to write a word of encouragement to Mercy graduates and supporters that whenever times get tough in your own life and whenever you are wrongly accused, we must continue to have faith in God and let Jesus be our example. When people say things about you that aren’t true or when attacks come, there is very clear instruction in the Word of God about what we are to do and what our stance is to be.

Matthew 5:11-12 says, “Blessed are you when you are reviled and persecuted and people say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is our reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you”. So we are in very good company when people say bad things about us because of our Christian walk. I am excited that God’s Word is true.

As Christians, we have to choose to refuse to be distracted by the enemy and to take the high road. Romans 12:21 instructs us, “Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” At Mercy Ministries, we choose to do this by keeping our focus on what we do every day of our lives, which is transforming the lives of young women and seeing them set free from all kinds of life-controlling issues.

Another thing that the Word of God clearly shows us is how we are to respond when trials come, and even personal attacks. In Romans 12:14, it says to “bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” So we are to bless our enemies and pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth. And our prayer for these people should be to come to know the same Jesus that we know.

I want to share with you a word of encouragement from one of our graduates, who understands this principle at a deep level.

It has been 12 years since I walked through the doors of Mercy Ministries and as I look back, I am amazed at God's goodness and mercy on my life. I came to Mercy Ministries as a last ditch attempt to get help. I had suffered years of sexual abuse and as a result, became self-destructive in an attempt to regain control of my life. I came to the conclusion that I would never overcome my past. I decided if Mercy could not help me, I would take my life.I am so grateful that God had another plan. At Mercy Ministries, I experienced the love and grace of God. I forgave the person who abused me, and I was healed in many areas. I began to respect myself. Mercy gave me the tools I needed to walk in freedom.

Today I no longer hurt from the sexual abuse and can honestly say I hope the person who abused me comes to know to the Lord. God has been so good to me. He used Mercy Ministries to set me free. I now have a Master's Degree in Social Work and I work in an industry filled with hurting people. My prayer is that God will use to me be his hands and feet to a hurting world.

Love,
Lori

In closing, I hope that all of us will choose to treat our fellow human beings with respect whether we agree with one another or not. I want to thank each and every one of you for your comments and challenge everyone to allow those they disagree with to still have the freedom to say what they want to say. I would like to see us to be able to agree to disagree without attacking each other. It seems like as fellow human beings, that’s the least that we can do.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Love,
Nancy