The Power of Forgiveness: A Journey of Grace, Healing, and Redemption

In 2020, I (Liz) came home from a girls' night out that had gone terribly wrong. I had too much to drink and blacked out completely. When I woke up, I had no memory of the night before—nothing but confusion and humiliation. As the details began to unravel, it became clear that I had been roofied by a group of men we had met that night.

I had to come home and face my husband with the weight of something I didn’t even fully understand. As painful as it was for me, it was just as devastating for Armando. The news shattered him. Our marriage unraveled before my eyes. In his anger and heartbreak, he told me to pack my things and leave.

Before I could go, though, Armando took a drive to clear his head. In that moment, God was already at work. A friend of his called and said, “You should go pray for her. She needs that.”

Armando wasn’t interested. Praying for me was the last thing he wanted to do. But somehow, he found himself circling back home. He walked in, laid hands on me, and prayed. In that moment, Jesus showed His forgiveness to me through Armando.

I wish I could say that forgiveness happened instantly. It didn’t. Armando made the choice to forgive, but walking it out was a long and painful road. It took nearly a year of hard conversations, unearthing secret sin, shedding tears, asking tough questions, going to therapy, praying, and reading devotionals together before we experienced true freedom in forgiveness.

Forgiveness in that season wasn’t just a one-time decision—it was a choice we had to make every single day.

I had never felt mercy, grace, and forgiveness at that level before. Not only did Armando choose to forgive me, but I also received the forgiveness of God—something I felt completely unworthy of.

As we walked through our healing, more wounds were uncovered. Forgiveness had to go both ways. We learned to embrace one another in our pain, to acknowledge that though our hurts were different, pain is pain. Sorrow is sorrow. Loss is loss. We chose to be there for one another.

And God showed us how to forgive because He had been so gracious to us.

We are living proof of the power of forgiveness. It all started with a choice. And sometimes, making that choice is the hardest part.

We chose forgiveness because we, ourselves, had been forgiven.

We also learned that it’s important to be quick to forgive—even if the healing process that follows takes time. Be willing to dig deep. Have mercy on each other. Love as Christ has loved you. 💛

QUESTION: In what ways can you model Jesus’ example of forgiveness in your marriage today?

Scripture reference:

Ephesians 4:32 – "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Colossians 3:13 – "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."