I can still remember the night many years ago now when, as a fifteen-year-old, I came to understand and experience God’s love. I had learnt about God in church and other places, but never realized God knew me or cared about me. That night, my life changed in a radical way. It blew my mind that those Bible stories I had heard in the past were actually true, that Jesus was indeed alive and that I, an insignificant, Aussie schoolgirl, mattered to him. From that point on, I knew I belonged to God and that, whatever career choices I made, I needed to live my life for God.
It was not until a little later, however, that I came to understand more about God’s forgiveness and the huge debt Jesus paid on my behalf. As God’s amazing grace impacted me more and more, I began to see how this needed to permeate every part of my life. If God had sent Jesus to die for me and had forgiven me so much, I needed to extend this same grace and forgiveness to others.
Easy, right? Hmm—maybe not. At times, forgiving others can be such a journey for us, can’t it? Perhaps the pain and hurt we have experienced has been so great that we need a while to work through it all, with God’s help. Sometimes these things cannot be rushed. In some instances, forgiving others may also need to be repeated and repeated until it becomes a reality for us. Yet there may be times too when we simply do not want to choose to forgive. We want to hold onto our pain and bitterness. After all, those people involved don’t deserve to be forgiven, do they?
Yes, there are many facets to the matter of forgiveness that we may not see all at once. Sometimes, just when we feel we are doing better at it, God seems to highlight another aspect of it and challenge us all over again. Even now, I can still struggle to extend God’s grace to others, just as Meg Porter, the main character in my latest novel, Down by the Water, does. Yet, little by little, through the love and care of those around her and through experiencing God’s acceptance and close presence for herself, God enables her to take what had seemed an impossible step for her and forgive.
Meg struggles with other issues in her life too—overcoming guilt, dealing with the grief of losing a beloved family member, using her God-given artistic gift to bless others. Yet how honoured I felt, as I shaped her story, to be able to show through it the changes God can make in our lives, as the Spirit empowers us! As I wrote, I felt I was watching Meg’s life grow fuller and fuller, as she listened to God and allowed the Spirit to lead her. I cheered her on, just as others have done for me in my life—and I hope and pray, as my readers get to know Meg, they too will feel cheered on in their own journeys and find that same God-given freedom and strength that Meg did.
In 1909, Meg Porter heads to Brisbane to study art, but a family tragedy changes everything. Heartbroken, she decides to give up her art classes and accept a marriage proposal.
After a miscarriage, Meg embarks on a journey of dealing with the past and of receiving God’s love and grace. Yet she struggles to forgive her mother—and to overcome her own guilt.
As the family grows and relocates, Meg learns to value her artistic gift again and to draw closer to God. Yet the war brings further family tragedy. And life becomes so busy, as she supports her husband and cares for their five children.
How can Meg keep her growing faith—and her artist heart—intact? And how can she ever forgive her mother?
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Jo-Anne Berthelsen is a Sydney-based author of seven published novels and two non-fiction works, Soul Friend and Becoming Me. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger.
For more information, see www.jo-anneberthelsen.com
Thank you so much, Jennifer, for allowing me to be a guest on your blog, all the way from Sydney, Australia! I hope and pray readers will find something to encourage them here in their own journeys. God bless!