Women in the Bible - Samaritan Woman

 

     Despite her past, this woman was obedient and Jesus was willing to use her.  Look at our own lives and see where Christ has brought us from.  He taught us how to forgive one another and move forward forgetting those things that are behind. 

   “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17-18

   One of the most inspiring moments in His ministry is when He forgave the Samaritan woman at the well.  He already knew she had been married five times and that she lived with a man who was not her husband.  He also knew the hurt she endured through the many marriages.  Nevertheless, He didn’t come to condemn her.  She was saved and went into the city confessing Him as Lord of her life.  She had been forgiven and her life would never be the same. 

   In her book, Attitude-inize, 10 Secrets to a Positive You., my friend Jan Coates wrote: “The great physician is always right beside you.  He cheers you on through the trial or the hurts inflicted by someone’s actions.  He stands ready, willing, and able to search your heart and help you let go of the past and press forward to the future with a positive healthy perspective.”

   Many years ago I found myself facing the trauma of divorce and single parenthood.  I was unaware that my ex-husband had already started down a pathway of disobedience.  Abandoned by him, I felt the shattering of my circumstances threaten to over whelm me.   

   I totally committed my life to serving Jesus Christ and received His love in 1981. I believe that it is the time when I truly learned to forgive my former spouse for the hurt he had brought to my life. The love of God replaced the hate in my heart. Because of His love,  God took what could have been a disaster in my life and turned it to my good.  I found the peace of God that passes all understanding.

    It took many years before I could forgive my former spouse for what he did.  However, God’s grace is sufficient.  I found new hope and new faith in the institution of marriage.  My husband Colin and I have been married over 50 years.