Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202002S
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00:42 >> Thank you for joining us on
00:43 It Is Written Canada. 00:44 You will remember last week 00:46 we ended off telling 00:48 Reema Sukumaran's story. 00:50 And let me just recap that story 00:52 for you to remind you of what 00:54 Reema was sharing with us. 00:57 It was such a riveting story of 00:58 how she grew up and she knew 01:00 that Jesus was her close friend 01:01 but she also had a very 01:02 abusive father 01:04 that was not only abusive 01:05 towards her and her brothers 01:07 but also towards her mother. 01:09 And later in her life she had 01:12 an experience where she had 01:13 trusted a spiritual mentor 01:15 and he had taken advantage of 01:17 her and abused her in a 01:20 very hurtful way. 01:22 And she was sharing that story 01:24 last time 01:25 and not only about that 01:26 but how she had come to the 01:28 place twenty-five years later 01:29 she was married 01:31 she had six boys 01:33 and she was looking for 01:36 healing, for an answer from God 01:38 and she just couldn't find that 01:41 and then a spiritual leader came 01:42 to her and said to her 01:44 "I am sorry." 01:46 And that was so much more 01:48 meaningful to her and brought 01:49 healing to her heart. 01:51 And so I want to speak to Reema 01:53 and her husband, Sanj, who are 01:55 here with us today 01:57 and to continue their story and 02:00 how that has been healing for 02:03 not only them, but for others 02:05 and so, Reema, thank you for 02:07 being with us again 02:08 and Sanj, your husband. 02:11 So at that point 02:13 that you had told us about last 02:15 time, you had experienced a 02:17 spiritual leader who came to 02:19 you and he said, "I'm sorry." 02:22 Was he the only one 02:23 who came forward? 02:24 Or were there others who came 02:25 forward and spoke to you? 02:27 >> So he was the first person in 02:28 the church in twenty-five years 02:29 that actually came and 02:30 apologized. 02:32 but the powerful thing was 02:33 his example. 02:34 He set such a powerful example 02:36 to a room full of pastors and 02:39 over the course of the weekend 02:41 about ninety-five percent of 02:43 those pastors came and 02:44 apologized to-- 02:45 "On behalf of our church 02:46 I am sorry." 02:48 >> Those weren't the pastors who 02:48 hurt you. 02:49 >> None of them. 02:50 >> No. None of them. 02:52 And, you know, the other 02:54 thing that really stands out to 02:56 me is every time that I speak 02:58 there's always a handful of 02:59 people that come and whisper 03:00 in my ear 03:01 "You're telling my story." 03:03 And that happened in that room 03:04 full of pastors, too. 03:05 We never know where the hurt 03:07 has happened, so... 03:09 >> You know what's so amazing 03:11 for me is that God's timing is 03:13 so perfect. 03:14 You know? 03:16 Like you said 03:17 for twenty-five years 03:20 you know, and then all of a 03:22 sudden His timing, you know 03:24 He leads you to speak. 03:26 And so can you tell us a little 03:27 bit more about that, Sanj 03:29 and how that worked out? 03:31 >> Yeah. It's kind of like that 03:31 wandering in the wilderness 03:32 story, isn't it? 03:33 You know, where you-- 03:34 You know, God has a will 03:35 for you, but you're not 03:36 ready for it yet, right? 03:38 And, you know, we would have 03:39 thought, you know, when you're 03:41 young you think, "I'm ready to 03:42 do this." Right? 03:43 "So, Lord, do it now." 03:44 But we weren't ready. 03:46 He was preparing our hearts 03:47 right? 03:47 And He was maturing our 03:49 spiritual experience that when 03:50 He did use us 03:53 we were far more equipped 03:55 to do His will. 03:57 And so twenty-five years later 03:58 you know 03:59 when His will was revealed 04:00 it all came at-- 04:02 in perfect timing, right? 04:04 Because He is perfect. 04:06 He doesn't make mistakes, right? 04:08 >> So here we are talking about 04:10 a very sensitive topic 04:12 Do you think it's something we 04:14 should be exposing or do you 04:16 think it's something that 04:18 "Hey if I just keep a lid on" 04:20 "this thing, it's just going" 04:21 "to go away." 04:23 Or is it going to make it worse? 04:25 >> Well, I can assure you it 04:26 doesn't go away. 04:27 It's with me every moment 04:28 of every day. 04:31 And, no, I don't believe that we 04:33 should hide from it. 04:35 You know, if we are vocal about 04:37 it, the perpetrators are going 04:38 to have something to fear. 04:39 Maybe think twice about-- 04:41 Sanj was talking about the 04:43 perfect timing and when God 04:45 brought this out for me to do 04:46 it's also when... 04:50 the Me Too movement started. 04:52 And that was just so amazing 04:54 because you know what 04:55 happened is I wasn't alone. 04:57 I mean, how many women were 04:59 telling their story and 05:01 you know, Me Too #pastoralabuse 05:05 that was pretty amazing, too. 05:06 How many people have been abused 05:08 by clergy 05:09 in all the churches. 05:11 This isn't about one church. 05:12 And so, you know 05:15 I'm a mom of six boys and 05:18 I share things with my kids 05:19 because if I don't share them 05:21 then someone else is going to. 05:23 >> You know, and so, yes 05:24 education is the key. 05:25 And you know, I'm really proud 05:26 to see churches taking a lead on 05:28 this of standing up and putting 05:32 things into play 05:33 course work, educating. 05:35 You know, I'd like to see the 05:37 "boy's club" is finally 05:38 breaking. 05:39 It's still not broken. 05:40 And when I say "boy's club" I'm 05:42 talking about twenty years ago 05:43 when church officials kind of 05:46 had each other's back. 05:47 But now I think that-- 05:49 I've learned that if you love 05:51 somebody and if they're doing 05:52 something wrong you should be 05:54 able to care enough to go 05:55 confront them. 05:57 >> But, you know, you asked 05:58 about this direct approach to 05:59 dealing with these things, 06:00 right? 06:01 Well, in getting to know Reema 06:03 in this little bit of time 06:04 you will understand that she's 06:05 very direct 06:06 and that's a gift God's given 06:07 her, right? 06:09 I mean, she never steers away 06:10 from these things. 06:11 With our boys, she's very direct 06:12 with them. 06:13 We're very open about these 06:14 things and it's her gift 06:16 and this is what God is 06:17 using in her 06:18 where she doesn't shy away from 06:19 telling you her story 06:21 and it's not a weakness that 06:22 she comes from. 06:23 You know, people think 06:24 "Oh, poor you." Right? 06:25 No, not "poor you." 06:27 This is one strong woman 06:28 who God has equipped with what 06:30 she needs to face things 06:32 head on and to encourage others 06:34 to face things head on. 06:35 >> Yeah. And so we have a duty 06:38 really to protect and prevent 06:41 this from happening to those 06:43 who are vulnerable by speaking 06:45 out and saying this has 06:47 happened and we don't want it 06:48 to happen ever again. 06:51 >> No. 06:52 And, you know, as you were 06:53 saying that I was thinking that 06:55 I wanted to add that, you know 06:57 I think that God's not just only 06:59 going to hurt the perpetrator 07:00 accountable, but He's also going 07:02 to hurt the people that-- 07:03 Not hurt, sorry, hold them 07:05 accountable-- 07:06 the people that knew. 07:07 You know, my perpetrator-- 07:10 there were how many people that 07:10 knew what he was doing 07:12 but the success of the school 07:14 or their friendship were more 07:15 important to them 07:16 and I believe God's going to 07:17 hold them accountable, too. 07:19 And so as Christians, if we love 07:21 one another, we need to take 07:22 care of each other. 07:23 We need to have each other's 07:24 back whether it's in prevention 07:26 or in helping someone that 07:29 is suffering with this illness. 07:31 >> The words of Christ come to 07:32 my mind where He says that 07:34 there is nothing that is hidden 07:36 that will not be revealed. 07:37 >> Right. 07:38 >> If there is a person out 07:39 there who has been hurt or 07:42 abused or if there is someone 07:43 out there who has done this 07:44 to others 07:45 whichever side you're on 07:47 you need to come to God 07:49 and you need to get healing 07:50 and you need to get help. 07:52 I know that you have a website 07:54 that talks about that. 07:56 Can you mention that? 07:57 >> My website is reematalks.com 08:00 and in it there are some helpful 08:02 hints of 08:03 if you are being abused or if 08:04 you have been a victim of maybe 08:06 things you can seek out-- 08:07 help you can seek out. 08:09 There are-- 08:11 I'm leading course work in how 08:13 to help leaders prevent this and 08:17 things that we can implement in 08:18 churches and businesses 08:19 and schools. 08:21 There are ten steps that I talk 08:22 about in identifying a 08:24 perpetrator and the interesting 08:25 thing was my perpetrator did 08:27 every one of those steps in the 08:29 order that he did it with. 08:31 So, yeah... 08:32 >> There's some universality to 08:34 this thing. 08:34 It's not just a uniqueness, 08:35 right? 08:36 To have perpetrators 08:37 take a path. 08:40 >> So he followed from step one 08:42 right through to step ten in the 08:44 exact order. 08:45 >> All the way to the end. 08:46 Yes, yes. 08:48 When I was studying about it 08:50 I came across this website and 08:52 unfortunately I can't remember 08:53 it right now, but a lady was 08:55 talking about it 08:57 telling a story 08:58 and she was actually telling a 09:00 story using the ten steps 09:01 perpetrators take 09:03 and what shocked me was she was 09:05 literally telling my story 09:06 from beginning to end. 09:08 And it startled me, you know? 09:12 But yeah, they seem to have a 09:14 pattern. 09:15 >> And these steps are all 09:16 mentioned on your website. 09:18 >> Yes. 09:20 >> Forgiveness. 09:22 How does that play into 09:24 this whole experience? 09:26 >> So for me, you know 09:29 forgiveness has been a big part 09:31 of my journey whether it's been 09:32 with this pastor or my dad or 09:34 people that have hurt me 09:36 and... 09:38 one of the things I will 09:39 mention is counselling. 09:42 Church actually facilitated 09:43 counselling for me and I've been 09:45 in counselling for over three 09:46 years and it's been incredible 09:48 the journey God is 09:49 taking me on. 09:51 And one of the biggest things-- 09:52 I'm just going to grab 09:52 my notes here. 09:53 One of the biggest things I've 09:55 learned about forgiveness is 09:56 there's so much-- 09:58 there's so much healing 10:00 in forgiving. 10:02 I've been asked numerous times 10:04 you know, have I forgiven him? 10:06 You know what? I have. 10:07 Because it's not about me 10:09 it's about God. 10:10 You know, and if I were him 10:12 I would be petrified. 10:13 You know, when God comes 10:14 He is going to hold all of us 10:17 accountable 10:18 and one of the things that 10:20 I love, I love this quote. 10:21 It says, "It's not an easy" 10:23 "journey to get to the place" 10:25 "where you forgive people" 10:27 "but it is such a powerful" 10:28 "place because it frees you." 10:31 And in the last three years 10:32 I've started finding that 10:34 freedom and today I can say 10:36 that I have forgiven him. 10:37 I hope he seeks help. 10:39 I hope he asks for forgiveness. 10:40 Because, truthfully, I hope 10:41 he's in heaven. 10:43 I found this verse that's 10:45 called-- 10:45 >> That's hard for me 10:46 by the way. 10:46 [laughter] 10:47 >> It's hard for most people to 10:48 understand but-- 10:51 >> Well, he hurt your wife 10:53 and so you-- 10:54 and the forgiveness has to come 10:55 through your heart, too, and-- 10:57 >> I've had to! 10:58 I've had this anger, too, right? 11:00 You know, as someone 11:01 who loves Reema 11:03 to know that someone 11:04 hurt her this badly 11:05 and so my heart becomes 11:06 blackened 11:07 and that's hard on our marriage 11:10 when I have those feelings 11:12 right? 11:13 Because it's hard for me to sit 11:15 here and go-- 11:16 and know that Reema has 11:16 forgiven him. Right? 11:19 Like, you've forgiven him. 11:20 You want him in heaven. 11:22 And I'm like, "Really?" 11:24 So, you know, that's been hard 11:26 for me, too, so I've also had to 11:28 find my ability to forgive 11:31 someone I've never even met 11:33 because it'll eat me up 11:34 otherwise 11:35 and so my heart has to be 11:37 cleaned. 11:37 >> So let's think about this. 11:39 If he ends up in heaven 11:40 he's going to be 11:40 a different person. 11:41 He's not going to be 11:42 the same person. 11:43 So that's amazing 11:44 that God can 11:45 transform all of us 11:48 and make us new creatures. 11:49 Right? 11:50 >> You know what? 11:50 He took a little girl's dream 11:52 He took my pain 11:54 He took my hopes 11:55 and, you know, He's made it 11:57 into something really, really 11:58 special. 11:59 He's blessed me with this 12:00 incredible family that I have 12:02 a husband that loves me 12:03 and six boys that-- 12:05 >> Adore her! 12:06 >> And they would hurt anyone 12:07 that hurt me. 12:09 And so, you know what? 12:10 Like, He has blessed me with 12:11 this amazing family. 12:13 We're not perfect 12:14 but it is my perfect. 12:16 You know, and God knew exactly 12:17 what He was doing and... 12:21 who am I to not forgive? 12:22 >> Yeah. 12:23 >> So your little girl dream 12:25 turned out 12:26 even better in reality than 12:29 what it was-- 12:30 >> For sure. 12:31 >> in a dream as a little girl. 12:32 Wow! 12:33 >> But not a Disney show 12:34 right? 12:34 >> No. 12:35 >> Not a Disney dream, right? 12:36 Because not this 12:37 perfect, perfect ending 12:38 because it's in our imperfection 12:40 that He gives us this, right? 12:42 You know, He uses that. 12:46 It's not gone 12:48 but it's what's so beautiful. 12:49 >> Yeah, there are scars 12:51 yes, but there's healing. 12:53 >> They're beautiful scars. 12:54 >> Wow! 12:56 Do you have a Bible verse 12:57 that would help us? 12:59 >> So I really like this verse. 13:01 It's from Romans 12:17-21 13:31 I can't imagine 13:34 you know, how God is going to 13:35 deal with sin, but I wouldn't 13:36 want to be on the receiving end 13:37 of that. 13:38 >> Yeah, well, I mean 13:39 someone treats you badly 13:42 and you're kind towards them 13:44 you know, that just takes 13:46 everything out of it. 13:48 You know, Jesus was whipped and 13:50 abused and hurt and 13:51 He just kept on 13:53 forgiving, right? 13:54 "Father, forgive them" 13:55 "they don't know" 13:56 "what they're doing." 13:57 It was like He was saying 13:58 "I'm going to keep loving you" 13:59 "no matter--" 14:00 "You can do what you want" 14:01 "to Me, but you can't" 14:03 "stop Me from loving you." 14:03 Right? 14:04 "And showing that love" 14:06 "towards others." 14:07 Now you have a love 14:08 for each other. 14:09 You've got a successful 14:10 marriage. 14:11 How did that happen? 14:13 >> Well, you know what? 14:14 This is again, it comes back to 14:17 that openness, right? 14:18 You know, when you don't hide 14:20 from your issues, when you 14:21 confront them-- 14:22 We learned that right early in 14:23 our marriage counselling, right? 14:25 We could have hidden those-- 14:26 We talked about the hidden 14:27 stories, right? 14:28 We could have buried 14:29 all those things 14:31 but they would have come out. 14:32 There's no secrets that won't 14:33 reveal themselves, right? 14:34 They would have come up 14:35 eventually. 14:37 And so in our life, you know 14:38 Reema makes me be far more 14:40 open than I would otherwise 14:41 naturally be. 14:42 [laughter] 14:44 Right? 14:45 You know, we talk about that. 14:46 Communication's a big thing 14:47 right? 14:47 But what does that 14:48 communication mean, right? 14:48 It means honesty and openness? 14:49 right? 14:50 Confronting things head on. 14:51 It's not always easy. 14:53 There's always thing that come 14:54 in your way, right? 14:55 But you've just-- 14:57 you've got to deal with them 14:58 in real life. 14:59 >> So those are experiences 15:00 you've had in the past 15:02 and if you didn't talk about 15:04 them, you're still thinking 15:05 about them, right? 15:06 And so you brought a lot of 15:09 healing into your family 15:11 through exposing it and 15:14 being aware: "This is what" 15:16 "I'm going through." 15:17 and that you can help 15:18 each other. 15:19 >> Yes. 15:19 >> And move forward with that. 15:22 >> Now and, Sanj, you are a 15:24 professional musician 15:25 and I believe that you did 15:28 something very, very special 15:31 for Reema. 15:32 So, Reema, do you want to tell 15:33 us what he did 15:34 and then you can 15:36 follow through with that. 15:37 >> So for a while now, I'm 15:40 actually working on a book. 15:41 My memoir. 15:42 And, you know, my book is a 15:43 journey 15:45 from being a little girl to this 15:47 point and how God has been so 15:48 faithful and... 15:52 Sanj has-- 15:53 He just wrote it in 15:55 music for me. 15:57 A beautiful song about God's 15:58 faithfulness. 15:59 >> I don't write songs often. 16:02 You know, I'm not a song-writer 16:03 by any means, right? 16:05 But, you know, I was helping 16:06 Reema edit her book 16:07 doing a first read-through 16:08 and as much as I know her story 16:10 to see it on black and white 16:12 it was hard for me. 16:13 Like, I still get emotional 16:15 hearing her tell her story. 16:17 But what I understood in her 16:19 story was that 16:21 you know, sometimes God doesn't 16:23 take away the thing that's hard 16:26 but He gives you the strength to 16:28 overcome it, right? 16:30 And you're asking for one thing 16:32 but He gives you the thing that 16:33 you really need, right? 16:35 So in the song that I wrote 16:37 it came quite naturally because 16:38 they were really her words 16:39 not mine, right? 16:41 You know, her story the way 16:42 she's told. 16:43 You know, when she's little she 16:43 asked God to take this pain 16:44 away, right? 16:46 And so the song that I wrote was 16:47 talking about that, but then 16:49 talking about how God gave you 16:51 the strength, the courage 16:52 the things you needed to 16:53 overcome. 16:54 So it's that empowerment that 16:55 God gives you. 16:56 There's nothing sad about that 16:57 right? 16:57 You know, in the darkest 16:59 of her days 17:00 when she was raped 17:03 His light couldn't be stopped 17:04 because darkness overcomes 17:05 the light. 17:07 You know, that's the middle part 17:08 of the song. 17:09 And then the last part of the 17:11 song talks about with-- 17:12 You know, "I came with" 17:14 "my wants." 17:15 You know, "Lord, I need this." 17:17 "I want this." Right? 17:18 And instead of fulfilling my 17:19 wants, He gave me what I 17:20 actually needed. 17:22 Right? 17:23 And so it was her story-- 17:25 The song is her story 17:27 that I wrote so it was really 17:28 her words not mine. 17:29 >> So at first the darkness is 17:30 overcoming the light 17:32 and then the light is 17:33 overcoming the darkness. 17:34 >> Light will always win over 17:35 darkness. Right? 17:36 Well, it's like, you know 17:37 if you're in a dark cave 17:38 you turn on a light. 17:39 How powerful is that light? 17:40 Right? It's-- 17:41 The darkness will never prevail 17:43 and that's God. 17:44 >> Yes, yes, yes. 17:46 So you wrote that song. 17:47 How was it for you to hear 17:49 that song? 17:50 [chuckles] 17:52 Every time I hear it I cry. 17:54 >> Oh, really? 17:55 >> Yeah, it's very powerful for 17:56 me and... 17:59 God has never let me down 18:01 ever, and... 18:05 yeah. 18:06 That song just reminds me 18:07 of that and... 18:09 you know, even with the love 18:11 that He's blessed me with 18:12 with my family, with my friends 18:13 I mean, I haven't walked this 18:15 path alone and I am so gifted in 18:18 so many ways and I guess my 18:19 encouragement to anybody out 18:21 there is that 18:23 you're not alone. 18:25 You have an invisible friend 18:26 you know, that you can turn to 18:28 and He's right there. 18:30 And, you know, I still have that 18:31 invisible friend today 18:33 you know, and... 18:35 He's right there with me. 18:36 >> Yeah. 18:37 And He speaks to you through 18:38 those who are present. 18:39 Those who are your family 18:41 and friends. 18:42 So Sanj, we're going to 18:45 listen to you singing that song 18:46 that you wrote for Reema. 19:03 ♪♪ 19:22 ♪When the burdens of life♪ 19:25 ♪All came crashing down♪ 19:31 ♪Surrounded by fear♪ 19:35 ♪There was no way out♪ 19:40 ♪I cried, "Lord take this away"♪ 19:43 ♪"I can't make it one more day"♪ 19:46 ♪You gave me strength♪ 19:48 ♪You gave me power♪ 19:51 ♪You gave me comfort♪ 19:53 ♪gave me peace♪ 19:56 ♪You were my light♪ 19:58 ♪lifted me up♪ 20:00 ♪Made my way clear♪ 20:03 ♪Covered my grief♪ 20:07 ♪I stand tall in Your love♪ 20:12 ♪You gave me strength♪ 20:14 ♪To overcome♪ 20:17 ♪I rise up when I'm down♪ 20:23 ♪You're my solid ground♪ 20:27 ♪You're the Rock♪ 20:29 ♪On which I stand♪ 20:31 ♪You're the peace♪ 20:34 ♪That passes all♪ 20:36 ♪I will stand in Your love♪ 20:49 ♪♪ 20:59 ♪When life seems so wrong♪ 21:02 ♪You were my rhyme♪ 21:08 ♪You opened the door♪ 21:11 ♪Though I tried with all♪ 21:13 ♪my mind♪ 21:18 ♪Darkness, you fail♪ 21:20 ♪In the presence of His light♪ 21:23 ♪You gave me strength♪ 21:25 ♪You gave me power♪ 21:28 ♪You gave me comfort♪ 21:30 ♪Gave me peace♪ 21:32 ♪You were my light♪ 21:35 ♪lifted me up♪ 21:37 ♪made my way clear♪ 21:40 ♪Covered my grief♪ 21:45 ♪I stand tall in Your love♪ 21:49 ♪You gave me strength♪ 21:52 ♪To overcome♪ 21:54 ♪I rise up when I'm down♪ 22:00 ♪You're my solid ground♪ 22:04 ♪You're the Rock♪ 22:06 ♪On which I stand♪ 22:08 ♪You're the peace♪ 22:11 ♪That passes all♪ 22:14 ♪I will stand in Your love♪ 22:26 ♪♪ 22:36 ♪I came with my wants♪ 22:39 ♪You gave me what I needed♪ 22:46 ♪Before I could ask♪ 22:49 ♪You were already there♪ 22:55 ♪When my road in life♪ 22:57 ♪was rough♪ 22:58 ♪My burden was made light♪ 23:00 ♪You carried me this far♪ 23:02 ♪When I lost my will to fight♪ 23:08 ♪You gave me strength♪ 23:10 ♪You gave me power♪ 23:12 ♪You gave me comfort♪ 23:15 ♪Gave me peace♪ 23:17 ♪You were my light♪ 23:19 ♪Lifted me up♪ 23:22 ♪Made my way clear♪ 23:25 ♪Covered my grief♪ 23:27 ♪You gave me strength♪ 23:29 ♪You gave me power♪ 23:32 ♪You gave me comfort♪ 23:34 ♪Gave me peace♪ 23:36 ♪You were my light♪ 23:39 ♪Lifted me up♪ 23:41 ♪Made my way clear♪ 23:44 ♪Covered my grief♪ 23:48 ♪I stand tall in Your love♪ 23:53 ♪You gave me strength♪ 23:55 ♪To overcome♪ 23:58 ♪I rise up when I'm down♪ 24:04 ♪You're my solid ground♪ 24:08 ♪You're the Rock♪ 24:09 ♪On which I stand♪ 24:12 ♪You're the peace♪ 24:14 ♪That passes all♪ 24:17 ♪I will stand in Your love♪ 24:29 ♪Stand in Your love♪ 24:34 ♪Stand in Your love♪ 24:38 ♪Stand in Your love♪ 24:44 ♪Your love♪ 24:58 >> What a beautiful song. 25:00 He, Jesus, gives us power 25:02 He gives us strength 25:03 He gives us peace to be able to 25:06 face the darkness 25:08 and overcome that darkness 25:09 with His light. 25:11 And so, Sanj, thank you 25:12 very much for sharing 25:14 that song with us. 25:16 Reema, that song was for you. 25:19 Do you have any final closing 25:21 thoughts for us? 25:24 >> Well, first of all, Sanj 25:25 might have written that song for 25:26 me, but I hope it speaks to 25:28 everyone else out there. 25:29 I know I'm not the 25:30 only one hurting. 25:32 And I just challenge you if you 25:34 are one of those people really 25:35 hurting to reach out to 25:36 somebody. 25:38 You don't have to be alone in 25:38 this journey. 25:40 There are websites that 25:41 can help you. 25:42 endingviolencecanada.org is one 25:44 that you can check out. 25:46 I've learned through this 25:47 journey that each 25:48 of us are broken 25:50 but we're beautifully broken. 25:52 >> Nobody's perfect 25:53 but beautifully broken. 25:54 >> God uses your pain. 25:55 >> Wow! 25:57 >> And perfection, I guess 25:59 is to continue to grow 26:01 despite the hurt and the pain 26:05 that you have experienced. 26:06 So thank you so much 26:08 for joining us 26:10 Sanj and Reema, and for 26:13 sharing your story with us. 26:14 >> So Friends, there is 26:16 something divine about 26:17 forgiveness. 26:18 Forgiveness is a conscious 26:20 deliberate act to release those 26:23 feelings of resentment 26:26 those feelings of hurt that you 26:28 feel towards another person 26:29 to actually let them go. 26:32 And that is a divine act. 26:34 That is a miracle that only God 26:37 can give to us because you 26:39 really want to get revenge 26:41 against that person. 26:42 And yet in the heart of the 26:44 Lord's prayer, Jesus asks us 26:46 to forgive. 26:48 Forgive others as we ourselves 26:51 have been forgiven. 26:52 And so I want to just take a 26:54 moment for us to pray 26:56 and to ask God for that 26:57 kind of divine forgiveness 26:59 that He can give to us. 27:01 Let's pray and bow our heads 27:02 right now. 27:04 Father in heaven 27:06 Lord, I thank you 27:08 for Reema's story 27:10 I thank you for Sanj's 27:12 story as well and how you 27:14 brought them together 27:15 how you brought something 27:17 beautiful out of a situation 27:21 that was so hurtful, so painful 27:24 and so broken. 27:27 I thank you for the dreams 27:28 of a little girl that you have 27:30 answered, Lord, and that you 27:33 have answered in such a 27:34 beautiful way. 27:35 I thank you for giving courage 27:36 to Reema to be able to share 27:38 that story with us today 27:39 because there are so many people 27:42 who have experienced a similar 27:44 experience and yet they find it 27:47 so hard to talk about it. 27:49 But, Lord, we know 27:50 that they can talk to You 27:52 that each one of us is heard by 27:55 You and that You are answering 27:56 our prayers. 27:58 I pray, Lord, for anyone who is 28:01 listening to this right now 28:02 that you will bring peace 28:05 and healing and forgiveness 28:06 to their lives. 28:08 We pray this and we thank You. 28:10 In Jesus' name, amen. 28:13 And so friends, I just want to 28:15 remind you again of those words 28:17 from Jesus Himself where He 28:20 said, "It is written, man shall 28:22 not live by bread alone, but by 28:25 every word that proceeds out of 28:26 the mouth of God." 28:30 ♪♪ |
Revised 2020-10-06