Keep The Faith

My Journey Through Shame, Discipline, and Father God’s Mercy My life has been a long road of learning, stumbling, and being restored by Father God. I grew up in the Lutheran faith, doing everything I thought made me a “good person.” Yet beneath the surface, I struggled with sin, shame, and confusion about who God truly was. Early Years and Misunderstandings I viewed sin on a scale—small sins and big sins—never realizing that the heart behind them mattered more than the size. Lust, shame, and hidden thoughts followed me into adulthood, even as I tried to live rightly. Military Life and Deep Failure During the Vietnam era, I entered the Army hoping for a safe path. Instead, I found myself drifting spiritually. Drinking, pornography, masturbation, and other sins became part of my life. A painful betrayal by someone I trusted brought me to bitter tears and deep grief over who I had become. Father God’s Gentle Intervention In my darkest moment, I asked Jesus b...

Why wait until the day Father God lifts the veil and reveals our true selves — the way He sees us and the way others have seen us? Why carry baggage into that moment that we could lay down now? You and I still have time to work on these things while we are here. Ask Father God to soften your heart. Ask Him to reveal the wrongs you’ve done to others, and the wrongs others have done to you. Ask Him for the strength to go — while they are still alive — and seek forgiveness. And ask Him for the grace to forgive those who have wounded you. For those we have wronged who have already passed on, we will have to wait to see whether they forgave us. If not, we will bear that grief and shame ourselves. Better to settle matters now, while mercy is still within reach. Luke 12:57–59 Yeshua (Jesus) spoke directly to this, urging us to settle our accounts before we stand before the Judge. He warns that if we ref...