Luke 19:6-7 Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy. All the people who saw it started grumbling, “This man has gone as a guest to the home of a sinner!”

Vs 10 “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

When I look back on my life, I remember the exact time I felt like Zaccheaus. In amongst the trauma that was going on in our marriage and family, I felt like coming out of the tree with great anticipation. I didn’t know if our marriage would survive, but I needed love and forgiveness. God’s love and forgiveness was the prescription I needed to be filled. I needed my husband’s and family’s forgiveness also.

As we walked through the deepest valley imaginable, not everyone was in favor. There was grumbling and murmuring. How does one learn not to listen to those voices? It’s called perseverance. It’s a decision to stay on the path and mentally rehearse where you want your marriage and family healed and restored.

Quieten the voices.

Pause and reflect before any decisions are made.

There will be people on the sidelines, comfy in their lawn chairs, watching and having their opinions. The trick is to ignore the opinions as they have their own struggles. When you can see that, then and only then, can you move past that.

So, what do you want to be known FOR?

For us, we wanted our marriage and family restored. We wanted to show our children what forgiveness looks like. We wanted a legacy of love. A love testimony that when you hit rock bottom, you can build again. I cannot thank my husband enough for making the decision that he wanted our boys to see hard work in motion. He also wanted a united family.

For me, it’s been a journey on how to forgive myself. I needed forgiveness from my husband, children, family, and friends, plus from myself. I plunged into the Word of God, loving words from close people in my life and a constant hunger for more knowledge.

Only then can we help others on their journey.

2 Corin 1:4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

We all have a story. That story can help others in their struggles. We all need hope!

So what can we be known FOR? Hope.

Hope only God can show in us and through us. When we are called to fulfill His purpose, we can do all things through him.

It takes courage, perseverance, and humility. It takes a willing heart. It takes a willingness to ask for help from a trusted counselor or mentor. You need two people who are 100% willing to be committed to the healing journey. Trust me; it is worth the hard work.

We can do this together!