"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 KJV

A testimony of God’s saving grace…

In my family we have had six people who either attempted suicide or committed suicide. Although this is not a general topic to be spoken about this time of year, I feel prompted to share a bit about this experience with you.

You may immediately think that there is a curse on our family, and you would be correct for the most part as not every one of my family members has dealt with it by taking it to Jesus and closing the doors that led us to become so in the first place. I cannot speak for them, but I would like to share a small bit about myself.

Growing up is not an easy feat as every one knows. Moving through different stages of life as a young person can be challenging. Adding verbal abuse from peers and feelings of being unwanted and unloved to the mix, makes a great recipe for disaster to strike. You see, when you are on your most vulnerable, that is when the devil will strike.

One day after a huge fight with a family member, I felt so lost. I couldn’t fight the thoughts that everyone would be better off without me, any longer. So I tried to put myself and, in my opinion, everyone else, out of our misery. Praise the Lord, that my dad came into the room before I could do much harm. All he said was:

“Jesus loves you.”

Those words kept me alive, not just physically but also spiritually. It is believing that Jesus loves me, that God cares so much for me that he would send my dad, who didn’t often speak about his faith, to speak the words my grandma used to say to me every time I visited her and my grandad.

I don’t know who this post is meant for. I don’t always know exactly why I am prompted to write about certain things, but to the people reading this, know that Jesus loves you!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 KJV

The journey of recovering from emotional wounds isn’t easy. It took counselling sessions, a lot of tears and a lot of prayer to become healed. Staying rooted in God’s word and finding freedom in Christ took a while and in some ways is an ongoing process, but it is worth it.

May you find encouragement through this that you are not alone. That Jesus loves you very much, so much that he gave his life so that you may have eternal life. The enemy wants to use your pain and suffering for evil, but God wants to use it for good, if you let him.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13 KJV

In the season you are in, remember that God is greater and stronger than anything that wants to come against you.

This Christmas, let’s worship our savior in spirit and in truth, casting all our crowns and hurts at the feet of Jesus and embrace the light of hope he wants to shine in our hearts.

Last year I wrote a song called “With Angels on High”

Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

With angels on high, we give you glory. With angels on high, we magnify your name. For you’re the King of kings and the Lord of lords, we magnify your name with angels on high.

May love, joy and peace fill your heart this Christmas!

With love,

Catherina