I found an article called Billy Graham’s daughter Ruth has Been Through the Fire, says It’s Time for Honesty. It started this way:

Billy Graham’s daughter wants to hear from you.

She says it’s time to be honest. Ruth Graham, daughter of the famed Evangelist, says she’s been through the fire and is ready to talk about her deepest frustrations and fears.

“I want to hear from you. I want to know what’s going on in your life,” she says, “I want to create a safe place where people can come and share anonymously.”

Why does she see the need for a “Safe Place” where readers can share their own failings and doubts?

She knows what it’s like to have to put on a false smile. The third child of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham’s five kids remembers having to pretend nothing is wrong – even when her world was falling apart. All preachers’ kids endure that, but a famous Evangelist’s kids have to be especially careful.

BEFORE I COVER MORE OF HER STORY

I don’t know all the answers but I know a few. I heard a prophetic word once “don’t run away from Him run to Him” try not to let anyone or anything pull you away from Him but let it draw you closer, like David and Joseph did, and others. David poured out his heart to God at all times and coupled that with Praise. One Scripture says “David encouraged himself in The Lord” how good is that!? He always said things like “I Will Praise The Lord”………”His Praise will continually be in my mouth” – in other words “Your Praise will be with me, no matter what the circumstance” He also said things like “Why are you so disturbed within me my soul? I will Hope Now in God for I shall again Praise Him”

If you let your allegiance stay firm, you will “go from Strength to Strength” like Scripture says and come out of this stronger, like a ship that has weathered the storms. Do remember that the Apostle James says to us that our tongue is like the rudder of a ship – in time something small like that can make a lot of difference (it will make the ship cut across the waves and change it’s direction). Find it true. This is all practical advice His Word is giving us. Given time, it works.

The Apostle Peter says in His letter in 1 Pe 5:10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all Grace, who has called you to His Eternal Glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you. (Berean Study Bible)

Verse 9 in the Christian Standard Bible says to Resist (the enemy) Firm in your Faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

Jesus spoke to us regarding that in John 10:10 when He said “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy (he causes fatal illnesses, he causes house theft etc and he causes circumstances that take peace and joy from us and he attempts to destroy our faith in God sometimes or in His Nature, causing us to doubt His Good Will for us) and Jesus went on to say He is a Good Shepherd who brings Fullness into our lives, not the other.

No, God is the Author of Goodness and the Enemy is the Author of Evil. Try to settle it in your hearts that The Lord does not bring what you’ve been through your way. I’ve been through deep situations and questions no-one knows, to put it mildly. He brought me out of it, just like He said in His Word and prophesy – it was nowhere in sight but He proved His Goodness to me in ways not expected.

BACK TO RUTH

Ruth had a deeply spiritual experience at a very early age – and her parents kept the Graham kids out of the public eye. And as a girl she never had to fake spirituality, “I really did have a genuine relationship with the Lord,” she recalls. “I gave my heart to Jesus when I was seven……….”

As a 15-year-old, she left home for an exclusive boarding school in New York. There, “I came down with mononucleosis (a serious condition caused by Epstein Barr Virus) and I was miserable.”

All alone, it was just her and God. “I just had to claim my faith as my own. At that point, it was no longer my parent’s faith, it was mine.”

She avoided teenage rebellion –smoking, drinking and drugs etc “I went to college and married and had children.” But in the 1990s, her world fell apart when her husband was unfaithful. After 18 years of marriage, Ruth was devastated. They went through months of counselling before conceding defeat. Then just a few months after the divorce, she remarried “on the rebound” but knew within 24 hours that she’d made a terrible mistake. Her life a shambles, she loaded up everything and sought refuge with her parents.

What followed was a time of turmoil. At age 40, she was in a personal, emotional and spiritual crisis.

“I sort of went off the rails,” she admits, “I decided I was tired of doing it God’s way. But that just made things worse “I had thought I was doing everything perfectly. I was a good wife. I was a wonderful mother. I was active in the church and I was teaching Bible studies. So, why didn’t God take care of me?”

Her children suffered, too. One daughter developed an eating disorder. Her son entered a drug abuse rehabilitation program. Another daughter had two babies in her mid-teens. How did Ruth deal with such a collapse of her world? She says she felt abandoned. “It was really a crisis of faith. How come the Lord didn’t intervene?” Why didn’t God protect her – keep her from having to go through that fire?

The answer is simple, she knows now: “He had something to teach me about the difficulties of life: to show me that none of us are exempt, that we all have hardships. We all have things that happen to us that we don’t ask for, but we have to endure sometimes.

And it’s OK. I didn’t like having to go through that – none of us do.

But it was very important for me to have that experience – and to grow from it.”

A WORD TO JUDGEMENTAL CHRISTIANS

To Sue who said: “She is an absolute disgrace and has embarrassed the good name of her Father. She would be better off in jail for life” and anyone like her……I sincerely hope that your spouse, your kids and your friends are not stressed by the heap of expectations you must place on them or are they all perfect in your eyes? Are they all as good as you? I also hope that others who have confided in Ruth on the Belief Net webpage are not damaged by your sharp and destructive words – the Apostle James had strong words to say about that kind of behavior – have you not read your scriptures properly or just the ones you want?

It’s right to state here that YOU are TRANSGRESSING the Christian Code of Conduct delivered to us by The Lord Himself.

Jesus said if we judge others, we will be judged (He has a measuring rod for that – the same judgement you place on others).

Hebrews 8:12 says concerning our SAVIOR GOD “I will consider their misdeeds No More” That doesn’t give us a license to commit whatever sins we like but it does apply when you’re living in Repentance and Grace, like Ruth and others. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who were scorning an adulterous woman saying “let him who has not sinned cast the first stone” and “go and sin no-more” to her (so He did not approve of adultery but He Forgave Her and gave her a New Lease on Life) and so it is with others.

He did the same for Mary Magdeline who ANOINTED HIS FEET with Her Thankful Tears and an Alibaster Box of Spikenard which said You are my Loving Master, the Precious Love of my Soul, while the Pharisees looked on in discuss saying Sinful Woman! What faith are you really Sue – Christian or Pharisee? (that is a question we should maybe all ask ourselves) In fact, your harsh and judgemental words sound more like hate comments on YouTube to me, but Christians are usually merciful.

I think you need to settle accounts with The Lord for all your wicked judgements and pray that He has Mercy on You! And you should maybe pray that you can forgive yourself once You are Forgiven.

Someone Commented: There go I, but for the Grace of God. I cannot jump to condemn someone who has recognized their fault. God is the judge and He is very patient with us. How dare you talk about the lady being a disgrace! “to his/her own Master, he/she stands or falls and God is the Master” not you or me.

What has Ruth Learned through her Personal Ordeal?

She says she will never again attempt to live up to other people’s expectations. “For years, I was very good at fooling myself. I don’t know if I fooled other people – I certainly never fooled God. I have realized that I have an Audience of One. As long as He is happy with me, then that’s OK. You can’t please all those other people anyway. There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t think you measure up.”

“Transparency is so lacking today,” she says. “You and I feel like we can’t be honest. We have to protect ourselves, especially to hide any flaws that we have. We feel we have to put on our masks and say ‘Everything’s OK and I’ve got it all together and I’m doing just great.’

But, people aren’t doing just great. They aren’t OK and they don’t have it all together.”

“I finally decided that I was going to admit that I don’t have it all together – but God does.

I want to share that and also to dialogue with my readers – so they can unburden themselves –

and they will find no condemnation from me. I am not into shaming people.

I believe in passing along God’s grace.”

CLOSING WORDS:

I’ve never been one for following Evangelists, I’ve always “Followed Jesus” but I would think her dad is looking down from Heaven proud of her because she is doing something very COURAGEOUS. We should think of it this way: Her father led people to Jesus, Ruth is leading many back to the Arms of Jesus and teaching US ALL to be honest. She is also helping to fortify Christians in difficult times.

I visited the following link again today and found out that Ruth is helping Christians STAND against some very Stressful Situations.

I Praise The Lord for her because not everyone can do that. It is a really Calling indeed for which she is qualified - having come out of things herself.

If life is “all nice” for you, I’m happy for you – not many can identify with that – I’m also sad for you because there is a special place of intimacy we can experience in the depths of life that is different to others.

“Father, Your Blessing Be With All Who Read This Page!”

Source of Original Article Content:

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