God led a man deeply hurt by his pastor to release forgiveness. They reconciled after 7 years.
Deeply hurt by his pastor
A Christian digital creator amed Costa Michael shared his beautiful testimony of forgiveness on GOD TV. According to him, the Bible was very clear about forgiveness. Even Jesus, in various instances, emphasized the importance of forgiveness. Additionally, He exemplified forgiveness by sacrificing Himself on the cross for the salvation of humanity. Then, he mentioned where his testimony started. He left a church that deeply hurt him, and one of the sources of this pain was his pastor. He harbored unforgiveness for seven years.
At first, he thought that he had already surrendered the pain to God, but then, deep inside, unforgiveness was still there. That’s why God did something that led him to release His grace. He went to Orlando and attended a Pastors and Leaders Conference. On the final night of the event, he stood outside and saw his former pastor walk out the front door. They hadn’t seen or spoken for seven years.
“At this time, I was so shocked to see him. He was so shocked to see me. I remember we were talking, and all our emotions just rose to the surface,” he recalled. He couldn’t tell his Pastor about how his words crushed him. Though he admitted that it was not his Pastor’s fault, he had no idea how much he was hurt.
GODTV (Screenshot). (2024). GODTV, A Testimony Of Forgiveness. Retrieved January 15, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3b44w2jRho
Forgiveness
Furthermore, on a Sunday night, he went to a church service with about 2000 attendees. He was in the balcony and sat next to an aisle. Then, surprisingly, he saw his former pastor seated nearby. They spoke and brought up the conversation about their last meeting.
“I told him how his words they literally crushed me when his intentions weren’t. And he told me, looking back, his intention was never to hurt me, but he could see why the words hurt me,” he recounted.
Moreover, the pastor looked at him and asked for forgiveness. He felt sorry for the things that he had said to him. Subsequently, Costa also granted forgiveness. After that, they reconciled. “Only God could do that. I couldn’t orchestrate this in my own strength, but this is how important forgiveness is on the Lord’s heart…,” he highlighted.
Lastly, he explained that God is the God of reconciliation. He encouraged people to seek help from the Holy Spirit to reveal their hearts and teach them how to forgive.
Watch the full testimony here.
Reference | GOD TV
Header Image: GODTV (Screenshot). (2024). GODTV, A Testimony Of Forgiveness. Retrieved January 15, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3b44w2jRho