Amy had been in a nine-year lesbian relationship that had broken up, leaving her wondering why her deepest longings could never be satisfied. She and Rachel had just started hanging out when they decided to attend Gateway Church in Austin, Texas on a Sunday morning. “I came on a mission to shock people,” Amy admits. “Rachel and I would hold hands in front of people, but instead of the disgusted looks of contempt we expected, people… treated us like real people.”
“Not long after that, Rachel and I stopped seeing each other, but I kept coming to church because I was searching for something,” Amy admits. “The more I learned about the teachings of Jesus, the more I started to actually believe that God really did love me. I heard more and more about being His masterpiece, and in time, I actually started to believe it… As I moved closer to Christ, He gently took me on a very surprising journey… First, I found out my father had nine affairs while I was growing up – a secret that rocked my world. Jesus began to show me the roots of my issues – I was just like (dad), using people to find comfort, life and love outside of God.”
As she grew in her trust in God’s love, further recollections were brought back. Amy recalled the day she was pinned down and raped by three boys when she was only 9! The Lord had been drawing her near to strengthen her to see the source of so much sexual struggle hidden for years beneath layers of protective mud. “After that, I realized God knows more about me than I know about myself,” Amy recalls. “As I continued to seek intimacy with Him, the lesbian struggles fell away… The more I focus on God’s intimate love for me and try to see His masterpiece emerge, the less I want anything to get in the way of His work in me,” Amy says. Seven years later, Amy leads Gateway’s ministry to help people find healing and wholeness from all kinds of sexual and relational struggles. She’s helping others become God’s restored masterpieces.
Source: Christian Press; Charisma News
BIBLE STUDY: 2 Corinthians 4:6
PRAISE: God He sees us as His masterpieces – He can restore every human being to His purposes.