Living With Power – Lina Abujamra

 

“Fractured Faith is a book about finding your way back to God… only to find out that He’s been waiting for you all along”

When you head to her site you will read this quote along with a fabulous overview of her book. I have so many quotes taken from her book. The challenge has been to choose which ones to include! You will understand why after you read her story in Fractured Faith.

I first was introduced to Lina Abujamra through our women’s ministry at Hope Bible Church Oakville. Lina was the keynote speaker for Radiant 2019. Her passion for Christ was evident in every step she took across the stage! Bible in hand and determined to share what God laid on her heart, she taught us with passion, grace and wisdom. Since then  I have been blessed by her ministry Living With Power and the wonderful options she has available on her site. The Hope Podcast, morning minutes and devotionals sent to my inbox have been insightful and my favourites! Her latest book is almost out and  I am grateful to be on the launch team for Fractured Faith and share a review of her book.

I need to begin with a brief story. Many years ago I had a neighbour full of excitement for life and very talented. We spoke about spiritual things from time to time but the one thing I recall the most was a conversation about ‘church’ and how she was never going back there. I wish I could remember more details, but the discussion never continued. What I heard that day was obvious hurt, pain and anger that lingered. I still think about that time and I wish I could go back to that moment with a book like this to share how, although, we are hurt by others in the church, our model is Jesus not people. It’s easy to allow others to be the model to follow, the danger is that we may neglect what the Bible is teaching and rest in others first, not Christ. Christ is our anchor! As you read through Lina’s book you will see so clearly that she recognized pain from others in the church and the hold it had, but ultimately that Christ is her firm foundation. She passionately and vulnerably shares her story in Fractured Faith with the hope to allow others into her story to demonstrate God’s sovereignty in our lives.

“I gave the people who hurt me so much power over my life. Yet they weren’t the ones who had called me to ministry. God was. And they weren’t the ones in control of my future. God was. I just couldn’t see it clearly for a while. When our vision is disrupted by our pain, it is God’s grace that restores our vision for who He is and what He longs to accomplish in us.”

– Lina p.81

Lina’s story may be familiar to you in many ways, hurt from others in the church. If not, this opens up a way to walk with those that have lost faith in church through friendship, love and pointing them to Christ. Lina found hope in the gift of new friends and that began a new chapter in her life.

“Your present suffering is God’s invitation to you for more of His presence in your life. It will take courage and guts to tell your story. It might even create some significant changes in your future, but it will be worth it. You will find out that you are not alone in your pain, and that when you finally let it all out, God will still be right there, waiting for you. You will realize that God isn’t disturbed by your pain. He welcomes it; He welcomes you. He’s a Savior who is familiar with our pain. But He’s also a Savior who knows that glory is born out of suffering. If you feel like you’ve lost your grip on God, it’s okay to let go. Because when you finally let go, you’ll find that He still has His grip on you.”

– Lina p.36

I love how she shares so openly about her hurt, journey toward forgiveness and her trust in a loving God,

“We forget that last bit. Forgiveness doesn’t just mean that a wounded person simply lets go of the offense. It means that we turn the offense over to God and allow Him to judge justly. In other words, healing when you’ve been wounded by other Christians has more to do with trusting God than you might have thought.”

– Lina p.85   

 

When you read a book about someone’s pain and their journey to wholeness in Christ, it changes you. We all have pain in different ways in our own lives. I am grateful that Lina willingly shared her story so others will know just how loved we are by God.

 

“God always sees the best version of who we are. He sees past our shame to all the places He still wants to take us. He sees our end from the beginning and our current spot from the end. God knows that it’s only when we come to the end of ourselves that we will finally see His face. Grace calls us by our real names, sees our God-given identities, and opens our eyes to see God’s presence and goodness in our despair.”

– Lina p.114

If we stay in the boat of unforgiveness we will never reach the shores of hope, release and refreshment that God offers! Lina was able to transform her painful experiences and allow God to use it for his glory through the ministry he called her to, 

“God’s gift on my life to teach His word was awakened in the aftermath of my pain. I hadn’t asked for it, but I’ve learned that God has a way of surprising us in our most painful places.” – Lina p.80

I highly recommend this book! I read it over a few days and knew quickly that this will be a book I order multiple copies of to share with others. Pain in inevitable, hurt will come BUT God is not unaware and he provides what we need when we need it through others. God is good!

Ok, one more quote from Lina!

“God is committed to reminding us of His goodness when we’re hurting. He’s committed to proving to us over and over again just how much we mean to Him. He’s resolved to show us that every human life has value, including mine. It is God’s sovereign goodness that calls us out of our painful places. It is His justice that steps in and vindicates us even after we’ve mentally assumed our story is over. And it is the power of God that allows us to step back into our own life and calling even after we’ve counted ourselves out.”

– Lina p.79-80