Forgiven and Set Free Episode 8 - Child of My Heart

Welcome back. Look at you. We are in episode eight. We are so thrilled that you are continuing this journey with us. If you are just joining us for the first time, I am going to ask you very gently to go back to episode one and start there. Every episode builds on the one before and we do not want you to miss what God has for you in this. So go back and start at one. Amen. Okay. So in the last episode, we talked about freedom and the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Today we're going to talk about something very tender and very sacred. Our children. Before I began, I want to say something clear to you. Today's episode may stir up some deep emotion and look, there's no right or wrong way to response. You are not required to do anything today. You are free to pause and return later or simply listen. Psalm 34 verse 18 tells us, the Lord is close to the broken hearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. God draws near, especially here. Hi ladies. Let's draw near to the Lord. Father God, thank you for the saving work of your son on the cross. Your word promises that you will wipe away every tear from our eyes. What do you meet each woman tenderly today and would you hold our hearts as we honor our children in Jesus name. Amen. One of the deepest wounds that women carry who have chosen abortion is that their child was never acknowledged. That was a wound I carried. It's a wound that Lovett has carried. Scripture tells us something very, very different. Psalm 139 verses 13 to 16 says,

you created my in most being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. All the days ordained for me were written in your book of life before one of them came to be. God knows your child. God sees your child and your child matters. Naming is one of the ways scripture honors life. God named God renamed and God calls people before they are born. Did you know that jail? He calls us before we are born in Jeremiah. One verse five tells us before I formed you in the womb, I knew you when a loss is unnamed. Grief has nowhere to go. Naming doesn't reopen wounds. It allows mourning to become possible. I know you've heard of us called peanut peanut, but that was the name, the neighborhood, the gangs gave her. Her name is Phyllis and we want you to hear from her one more time as she share about her love for her child and how it changed her heart. I was able to see my children during this meditation process and it was so amazing. I just seen Jesus lift them up and he held them and he was taking care of them. And I know that he is giving them something better than I could ever give them. And he loves them and they're so happy up there and I saw all the children, every single woman that was in the group. I got to see all their kids there, including my own. And Jesus held him and he loved them and it was beautiful. And I got to name my children. I got to acknowledge them. Um, my sister, my sister, my sister, my sister, my sister, my sister, my son, his name is Josiah and my daughter. His name is Josephine, after her big brother, Joseph. If you feel comfortable, you might want to close your eyes or simply soften your gaze. You may want to gently ask God, Lord, would you share with me the name of my child?

Would you show me the sex of my child? You're not imagining, you're listening. God may give you a name, he may give you a sense, he may give you an image or nothing yet and that's okay. Isaiah 55, 8 reminds us that God's ways are higher than ours. He reveals gently and in his time. I know for me, God showed me very clearly that I have a daughter in heaven and her name is Catherine and I look forward to meeting her one day. You know, I love that you shared your daughter's name because my two children's name is Deja and Dalvin, so yeah. And they're together. They're together. They're all together. You know, the naming of our children is something sacred and like Lovette mentioned earlier, we can now mourn our children by name and this is something that is so healing for us and we don't want you to miss that. Many women have asked, how can we have a memorial service in prison? This chapter is going to help you create a sacred space, a personal time between you and God. Look, where there's a will, there's a way. You can find a quiet space with a trusted friend. Read scripture that brings comfort. Write a letter to your child. That's what I did. Speak their name out loud. Sing a song that express your heart or even find a small flower on the prison grounds and allow it to represent the life that once grew inside your womb. Look, this is your time with your child, a moment to honor their life, to release unspoken grief that you've probably been holding on to for so long and to let God hold you in his compassion.

Look, this is for you and God alone. Nobody else. This is for you. What matter is not the format. Don't get caught up in it. What matter is that your child is known and honored. Scripture gives us hope beyond grief. Matthew 19, 14 records Jesus saying, let the little children come to me. Your child is not lost. Your child is held. And one day there will be a reunion. Let's pray together. Father God, thank you for each of these precious lives represented here today. Thank you that none are forgotten and none are unloved. Would you continue to bring comfort, bring peace and bring hope to every heart? In Jesus name, amen. Look, I'm not even ashamed that I'm crying because this is a beautiful time. But thank you for trusting this moment to Jill and I. If emotions feel tender, look, I got my snap rack right here. That's okay. That is near to the broken hearted. When you're ready, continue to the next episode where we'll talk about acceptance and living forward in freedom. You are not alone and your child is remembered. You Amen. Amen.