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Kim White's avatar

Jon, this is spot on and needed! Amen and amen and amen to every word you wrote. God is using what you have and are going through to help others in massive ways—addictions of all kinds/flavors/varieties. This IS all of us! Thank you for your honest vulnerability. 😊🙌

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Jonathon M. Seidl's avatar

That means so much, Kim. I'm so glad it resonated and that God is using my messy story to help others. Even if that can kinda suck at times. LOL.

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Kim White's avatar

It does suck at times! 😂 You know I write from the perspective of the messy middle of my life. If we are honest—we are all there. You’re giving people permission to be honest. With themselves, their loved ones, and with Jesus. He knows it all anyway and we are all addicts of one kind or another. So we might as well be honest about it!

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Lindsay Bullock's avatar

If we’re honest, we all have messy stories. And grace. And more mess. And more grace. Thank you for this writing! I appreciate the honesty.

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Jonathon M. Seidl's avatar

Agreed! Now the problem is that not everyone is honest. Or they just haven’t realized it yet.

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Lindsay Bullock's avatar

It’s that…not everyone is honest. Authenticity is threatening to other people’s lies about themselves.

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Melisa Capistrant's avatar

"Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I think if we're honest, we can all say this.

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Caroline Beidler, MSW's avatar

Well done on a tough topic, friend 🙏🏼

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Camilla Joy's avatar

As someone who had an affair but who also endured emotional manipulation, control, gaslighting, and contempt from my husband... I really needed this. I have been so disappointed with how I've been treated and how my story has been dismissed because of my moral failing (which, granted, was awful and inexcusable and I wish I had left my husband before it ever got that bad). Thank you for writing this. Thank you for being honest and vulnerable with your story. We need it!

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Devon Comp's avatar

So. True. And genuinely something I’ve wrestled with as a follower of Jesus. Sure, some sins may have more earthly consequences in the same way that natural law governs the existence of gravity—if a grand piano falls off the top of the stairs and you happen to be below it, you’re probably going to get crushed. But, in the case of spiritual law, there is no “worse”, sin is called sin. There just may other “laws” at play that govern consequences too. Maybe I’m just rambling, but I resonated with this piece and it opened my eyes to a very deep flaw I see sometimes in the church.

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Gladys's avatar

I agree with you, we have all committed the "big sins" even if just in thought not in action. We are all in the same boat as far as our fallen nature and our propensity to sin.

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Dec 14, 2024
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Jonathon M. Seidl's avatar

Thank you for sharing this. Wow. So good!

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