Jeremiah 33:14-16
Listen to the devotional

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” 
Jeremiah 33:14-16

While at work on a Wednesday morning and out of habit, I checked my emails. It’s always either junk mail or an invoice of some bill that was paid automatically, but I noticed an email from Pastor Kim. I figured maybe Pastor Kim was sending some reflective thoughts my way. To my surprise it was a request to be part of a collection of writings—a reflection on a passage of scripture for day five of Advent. I sent Pastor Kim an email the next day thanking her for thinking of me but letting her know that I didn’t think I would have any ideas or meet the deadline. I did pray about it hoping that I would be inspired and that the scripture would speak out to me. The more I read it the more I thought, “I don’t know what to write about.”

I kept rereading verse 14 “the days are coming declares the LORD when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.” This piece of scripture reminded me that I had been carrying shame, guilt and unjust feelings in my heart for many years. It also helped me notice that at the same time I have carried a feeling of hope and faith 

When I was a little girl I was sexually abused. I didn’t understand what happened, I didn’t know how to seek help. Many years went by. When I was 13, I  told my school counselor and legally they were obligated to report it. From that point on the justice system tried to comply with their legal obligations and tried to prosecute. Unfortunately by this time there was no evidence that could be proven in court. It was my word against his. There was only so much that legally could be done. And unfortunately my family didn’t know how to support me emotionally and mentally throughout this process. 

So I carried this burden with me along with hope and faith that one day justice would prevail. “The days are coming the LORD declares when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.” I can accept that I will never see justice in the traditional sense but what God has given me through his promise is hope. The justice that I was once seeking has been replaced with forgiveness. God’s promise has shifted my mind and heart. God has gifted me something so beautiful becoming a mom to two beautiful boys that I can give them the upbringing that I didn’t have. Through them I am parenting the inner child in me. I am choosing to focus on loving and nurturing myself and my boys. I am showing them God’s love.