The I Factor by Van Moody

Author:Van Moody [Moody, Van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

8

The Biggest Favor You Can Do Yourself

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

—MAHATMA GANDHI

ONE OF MY RELATIVES IS A MAJOR FAN OF THE REALITY show Duck Dynasty, which stars some of the men of the Robertson family from West Monroe, Louisiana. One of the most powerful stories I have ever heard involves a husband and wife from that family who do not appear on the show as often as some of their family members. Al, who is Willie, Jase, and Jep’s older brother, is known as “the pastor” and his personal story is amazing. He has endured deep pain and come through it with faith as solid as gold.

Al and his wife, Lisa, write about their lives in the book A New Season, and the story they tell is better than anything any scriptwriter could come up with.1 In a nutshell, Al and Lisa seemed happily married for several years and had two young daughters when Lisa had a nonsexual, emotional affair with a local businessman. When Al confronted her about it, she admitted it and they began to work on their marriage as best they could. Al, of course, was deeply hurt, but he was a committed Christian, doing his best to live his life according to God’s Word. At the same time, he admitted he really did not know how to deal with his pain, so he basically ignored it while he and Lisa continued with their lives. By then the man in the affair had moved out of town, so Al and Lisa thought he was no longer a threat to their marriage. They didn’t realize that his absence would not solve their problems.

Several years later, Lisa had another affair, and that one did become sexual. While that affair was taking place, Lisa was also embezzling money from Al’s family business, Duck Commander. When Al found out about it, he was understandably furious and devastated. As he thought and prayed about what to do, he came across a book on forgiveness and read it, though he found it overwhelming and struggled to get through it. While he really did not want to forgive Lisa at times, he ultimately did—fully and freely.

But Al was not the only one who had to forgive. On their journey of healing and restoration, Lisa realized much of her behavior was rooted in abuse she suffered as a little girl at the hands of a relative. For various reasons, Lisa was not able to receive the help she needed. Her emotional wounds never had a chance to heal; they festered and grew until she made some hurtful decisions that nearly destroyed her marriage.

As Al and Lisa worked through their issues, she had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and realized how much she needed to forgive her abuser. Once she did, the healing and wholeness that eventually resulted in her life have been astounding. Today, Al and Lisa are a happy husband and wife, joyful parents and grandparents, and wise, trusted advisors to married couples who find themselves in deep trouble.

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