so good to be in the house of the Lord I'll never forget one Saturday afternoon
when I was 16 years old I walked in the kitchen and my father was grilling
hamburgers at Saturday afternoon I was like yeah I'm hungry dad he said great
he said can you run to the store for me and pick up a few little items I just
need some mustard some pickles just just a couple little items I said absolutely
I mean I was 16 years old just waiting to get behind the wheel any excuse to
drive and I was right there so he went to give me his keys and as he was giving
me the keys he said now look Victoria he said I want you to go straight to the
grocery store I want you to come straight back and don't open the
passenger side window don't roll it down because it's off the tracks and he said
I have to get it repaired next week so don't open the window I took the keys
from his hand and I rushed out the back door
jumped in the car cranked it up drove down the street to my best girlfriends
house and picked her up I said we're going to the grocery store as we were on
our way to the grocery store about to leave the neighborhood we saw some of
our friends who lived in the neighborhood walking down the sidewalk
so we started waving I said let's pull over so they can see us driving so we
pulled over I said roll down the window so we can say hi she looks at me and she
says I thought you said the window was broken I said it's okay it'll be fine
this time this one time won't hurt anything
so she rolls the window down and we talked to our friends and I'll never
forget as I was driving on she was rolling that window back back up and it
was as if time Stood Still that window shattered in 1 million pieces I looked
at that window I couldn't believe it millions of pieces I looked at my
girlfriend I said you're going home with me
listen I'll never forget driving that car home thinking what am I gonna tell
my father drove up the driveway walked in the back door and there he stood in
the kitchen with the biggest knot in my throat I said dad I got to tell you
something I did everything you told me not to do I said dad I shattered your
window please forgive me I couldn't believe what I had done but you know
that Saturday afternoon is a 16 year old girl I'll never forget
my dad's response to me as I looked at my father and he looked back at me and
I'm sure he was disappointed he looked at me with eyes of compassion It was as
if he looked past my failure past my mistake somehow he saw a daughter on a
journey and he showed me unconditional love that day he didn't rape me he
didn't tell me how terrible I was somehow he found it in himself to look
over my faults and show me his love can I tell you if an earthly father can do
such a thing how much more does our Heavenly Father look at us today
through eyes of compassion and love so often we feel like he's looking at our
mistakes counting our failures against us but can I tell you the scripture says
when we were yet sinners before we even know what was right and what was wrong
he looked down through the corridors of time and he said I love you
unconditionally that is the heart of the Father now your story might not be the
same with your earthly father I don't know but I can tell you it has helped me
understand the love of my Heavenly Father you see that day
I had to do something I had admit what I did and then I had to ask for
forgiveness then I took it one step further
I had to receive his forgiveness because see it was up to me at that point was I
going to make a decision that my father loved me and that he indeed forgave me
and I could shake off the shame shake off the guilt because see there was
something real important that I needed to do I needed to have a relationship
with his father in my life and if I was going to draw back and not feel like I
was good enough I would have never come and asked him for the keys again but
guess what I did I asked him for the keys again and he gave them to me
I'm saying all that to say some of you have shrunk back you're not asking God
for the keys again you're saying he couldn't possibly want that for me how
could I possibly achieve that man I make a mistake all the time
hi I can't get to where God wants me to be if I even ask him will he even hear
me can I tell you your heavenly Father is not looking at what you're doing
wrong he's looking at what you're doing right he sees your two good moves yeah
you may have blown it you may have even blown it yesterday what can I tell you
when you come and you say God forgive me he sees us as a working progress we are
sons and daughters in progress and he's not holding that against us she's gonna
tell you something when I asked my dad for the keys again he didn't say to me
well don't forget what you did don't forget how you wronged me
he didn't come at me with guilt and condemnation and I want to remind you
today if you're not asking for the keys because you feel guilty maybe a little
ashamed maybe you can't even believe God would do that that is not God that is
the accuser and those are the things you're gonna have to shake off and make
a decision today when I ask God for forgiveness he freely forgives me he
pardons me Luke 12 says he takes great pleasure in giving you the kingdom that
tells me he's got some keys for you today you gotta ask you don't walk timid
before God he likes boldness he likes tenacity listen God says come boldly
before the throne of grace so you can obtain mercy and find help in your time
of need see there's the key right there you've
got to be bold you gotta ask for forgiveness
you got to receive it you got to forgive yourself and then you got to know that
God's gonna help you get to where you need to be
amen he's a good father he is amazing today your partnership makes this
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