God Is Weird-Part 2

In my newfound belief that God was standing with me on this very difficult journey, I had a hard time not expressing this to others.
On a particularly hard day, I was telling a friend from work the story about finding my childhood Bible and all the little ways God had been looking after me.

We had never really talked deeply about faith before, but sitting in her office, she pulled out a Bible and told me she had been reading it earlier that morning and thought I might like it. It was the Thrive Devotional Bible for Women by Sheri Rose Shepherd. She started showing me the features—how she and her daughter used it, how it’s organized by topics, and how each section included a personal “Love Letter from God.”

The uniqueness of it spoke directly to where I was emotionally and spiritually. Since I was still easing into this new outlook on my faith, Bible study, and church, this felt like an honest and approachable way to begin—something small, something real, something I could hold on to. I flipped through the pages and saw topics like forgiveness, truth, love, marriage, brokenness, and anger—all things I was wrestling with and searching for answers in.

I told her how amazing it was. She looked at me and simply said, “Yours will be here next week.” I was overwhelmed by the kindness—by the way she saw that I needed something more than support. I needed direction. And this was her way of helping me find it.

In navigating the hurt, confusion, and anger of my situation, there were many times when things would happen that felt like a straight gut punch.
I felt betrayed—blindsided by the actions of others. It was so tempting to want to light the whole town on fire, to point fingers and speak the truth in the ugliest way. I couldn’t understand why I felt like I was being punished, or why others wouldn’t speak up about the hurt being done to me.

One day, feeling completely overwhelmed, I reached for my new Bible and looked under the topic of confrontation. It led me to a feature titled Restoring Faith in Others, referencing Galatians 6:1:

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself."

The verse was powerful, but it was the Love Letter from God that struck something deep in me:

Beloved Daughter,
I have given you the ability by My Spirit to discern right from wrong. I have given you My Word to study so you can learn to walk as My chosen child. You will see things in your brothers’ and sisters’ lives that are not right, and I want you to have the courage to confront them in love; however, I want you to remember that you are not to judge them in such a way that would keep them from an encounter with My grace. I want you to help them find their way back to Me. I don’t expect you to be their God—that is My position. But I want you to show them My mercy by gently helping to restore them to a right relationship with Me. You will be blessed for it.
Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Reflection:
When someone acts out of character or is about to walk away from God, help carry them back to the Cross so they can find God's mercy and the power to overcome sin. Be careful when you confront someone who has fallen so you don't judge them, fall into temptation yourself, or keep them from encountering God's grace.

Those words filled me with power. It’s hard to explain, but I suddenly felt like maybe all I needed to do was be good, be kind, and show love—no matter what hurt was slapped across my face. God wasn’t asking me to react; He was asking me to reflect Him. To stand strong in grace, even when I didn’t understand the why or the how.

It gave me peace. It gave me permission to let go of the burden of trying to “fix” things or force truth into places where it wasn’t welcome. If I’m honest, I don’t fully know others’ perceptions. I’ll never fully understand their view. And I don’t need to.

My new “sit back and love” approach definitely freaked some of my family out.
This was not my usual way—I had always been reactionary, quick to speak my mind. I even remember one of them joking, “Um, okay… well, what the heck have you done with the old you? Because I don’t know who this person is.”

And honestly? I didn’t either. It felt weird to me too. But when you feel like you’ve lost it all, why wouldn’t you want to change—to be better?

No matter what changes I make, there’s no guarantee the person I hope will see them ever actually will. But even in the pain, giving kindness to hurtful actions and love to misunderstood feelings made me feel like I wasn’t about to bite into Sleeping Beauty’s poisoned apple. I got to choose how my heart showed up in the world. And I wanted mine to be like a bright, beautiful red apple—free of anger, hostility, and resentment.

I was choosing to let God deal with the weight of their actions.
I just wanted to be the example they could look to—even in the middle of the mess.

I know what comes next in this story. But before I share it, I feel led to walk through a few other chapters first—the ones that quietly shaped who I’m becoming.
God is still weird.
And still beautifully present.

If you’re interested in the Thrive Devotional Bible for Women, you can find it here:
https://a.co/d/6W0057G