What happens when the God of this universe
spares no expense to step into
Your Story
with a message that says...
You matter to Me.
You are more than enough.
You're worth fighting for.
I see you.
Most women coming to a conference on betrayal
arrive dazed, confused, and wounded from
sexual deception and infidelity. On
many occasions God has shown
up in a unique way
to send personal,
reassuring
messages
of love.
I call these
God
Sightings
[ we are not alone ]
a rainbow
It was a warm Saturday evening in Dallas, 6:51 p.m. to be exact, just moments before a healing exercise when the women were invited to replace one of their shame beliefs with truth.
Just then God painted a double rainbow above the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
God is alive, well, and on the move. I love to tell that story; it's a symbol of mercy and love.
[ mercy and love ]
a white horse
While speaking at a conference in Dallas, I met a woman who had been divorced five years and was struggling to date again. Her 10 year marriage, devastated by betrayals, left her wounded and untrusting.
A member of our prayer team emailed me and said, "I was praying for the women and God brought this verse to mind."
"Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True..." (Rev. 19:11 GNT)
I shared this with all the women at our next session. Right after I spoke, a woman came up to me with a look of surprise on her face. It was priceless.
"Before coming this weekend I commissioned an artist to paint a picture of me with my horse. The artist texted me while you were speaking and asked me to approve her drawing before adding watercolor. The artist said two words kept coming to mind as she sketched, Faithful and True. I couldn't believe it when you mentioned that verse. I just had to show you!"
Faithful & True - Paper Doll Series © Michelle Bentham, 2016.
Used by permission. All rights retained by artist.
[ faithful and true ]
a lion
I sat in an airport waiting to fly into Reston, Virginia to present at a conference. I got an email at 9:53 AM from an artist I had met in Alaska several months earlier.
"I will pray God will break those chains and truly set the women free. He is alive in us and able to overcome. I'm painting a lion as we speak. He is the Lion of Judah and is on the move in your hearts. Unleash Him! I just started painting him so it's mostly the underpainting. Just remember I have a bunch of work to do on this painting, just like God continues to change me!"
Used by permission of Gale Strickland, artist.
Concealed within this story of the underpainting are rich brush strokes, which create beauty and depth. Like the artist we too can feel exposed by the imperfect and unfinished parts others don't see.
I shared this story during the conference. One women told me how the underpainting helped her open up in her betrayal recovery group.
"I felt so much shame about my boyfriend's sexting and cheating. I didn't have enough curves to keep his interest. Even though the pain was intense I was too embarrassed to talk about it. The underpainting helped me realize I don't have to be perfect. I believed my body wasn't good enough. Now I know that's not true. Why am I letting his betrayal judge my body and tell me something's wrong with it? I used to like how I looked. When I said this out loud, my group cheered. They met me with grace and love. Instead of hating my body, I brushed in new layers of paint."
When we share ourselves by inviting others into the dark, raw brush strokes we can find comfort and acceptance there.
[ grace and love ]
It was stunning to see how this story spoke of God as our Lion of Judah. When I googled what that meant it took me to a verse that says "Fear not for I am with you." Wow! I absolutely love how God showed up.
Used by permission of Gale Strickland, artist.
[ fear not - i am with you ]
you've been through so much.
God weaves together what seems like unrelated details from people
who didn't know one another in order to show up in
an extraordinary way, because...
[ you're worth it ]
are you surprised?
[ i'm not ]
God's been speaking to us through creation and stories for centuries.
We listen better that way. Sending messages of love
and rescue signifies God is alive and well,
and most importantly...
God
sees you.
For the stories in their entirety...
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Dr. Sheri Keffer
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VISION = AN EXPERIENCE IN WHICH A PERSON, THING, OR EVENT APPEARS VIVIDLY OR CREDIBLY TO THE MIND, ALTHOUGH NOT ACTUALLY PRESENT, OFTEN OF A DIVINE NATURE
