The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God: What Honesty and Pain Taught Us About Faith, Family, and Forgiveness by Jep Robertson Jessica Robertson & Susy Flory

Author:Jep Robertson, Jessica Robertson & Susy Flory
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2015-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

We still hadn’t really committed to an exclusive relationship yet and were free to date others, until one particular Sunday morning. I drove over to the house Jep shared with Trey. Jep let me in. I thought we’d go to church together, but he’d stayed up too late the night before and was planning to skip church that morning. We talked for a little while, and then I got up to go on to church alone.

“I don’t want to you to leave,” Jep said, surprising me.

“I’m gonna go,” I said, ready to walk out the door.

“Don’t leave,” he said again. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

I didn’t know what to say.

He gave me a hug and kiss. “I know I am,” he added.

His tenderness and affection made me feel great. Even though I’d turned my life over to the Lord, I was still battling the familiar feelings of worthlessness. I was still damaged in so many ways and still healing. For him to say he loved me meant so much. After that, we committed to each other and spent even more time together. I was falling for him too.

As we got closer over the summer months, his friends, both girls and guys, began to express some concern over our relationship. It was a little awkward—I was still going through some issues with the divorce. At first, no one really said anything, and they were friendly to me and acted as though they wanted me around, but they didn’t like us getting close.

Some of his buddies would come by to visit, and they began to ask me questions about my past. With a few of them it felt as if I was being drilled or interrogated, and it made me feel terrible about myself. This ugly voice started popping into my head, telling me, Maybe you’re not forgiven. Maybe you’re just a terrible person. Plus, a few of the girls at church, although they were just friends, were very protective and possessive of their Jeptha.

A bright spot, however, was meeting the Robertson family at church. The first one I was officially introduced to was Miss Kay.

“Mom, this is Jessica,” Jep said.

Miss Kay came up and gave me a big bear hug, wrapping her arms around me. Jep was quiet while I soaked in her warmth and caring personality.

Her sweetness reminded me of my grandmother, who radiates love to everyone she meets. I felt a strong connection to her from the very first moment. We both loved Jep, and that was enough to start us off on a lifelong friendship, and she quickly became a true friend.

I also met Phil, and I gave him a big hug. It was a tiny bit awkward at first because he’s not much of a hugger. But I didn’t care. I loved him because he was Jep’s dad.

I didn’t see Willie and Jase and their families much, but Jep and Alan are really close, so we spent time as a couple with Alan and his wife, Lisa.

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