What a beautiful story of healing and love in Christ. Her patient and loving husband stuck with her, and helped lead Merrie to Christ. God bless your marriage, children, and family. Thank you for sharing.
This was such a precious blessing. I hope Merrie reads this comment and knows that the courage and honesty with which she shared her story touched my soul deeply, and I'm sure many others as well. Wonderful.
Same here. I feel a sense of connection with these two Believers that I've never experienced from listening to a testimony. Beautiful. God is always calling out to the suffering and the searching. God is good!
Merrie I knew you almost 30 years ago in Ringarooma (Tasmania) - in your big house behind the hedge - and you were a beautiful person then. You were generous and loving, and helped me no end. I will always remember you very fondly.
Well done Merrie that wasn't an easy look through your life. It's very hard mulling over and exposing to the world, those times when we have mucked up big time. Thank you for your honesty.
To go back to my pre Christian days would be like going back to some sort of madness. I love it. She has what I have a peace in Jesus. A wonderful testimony
Boarding school must have been a horrible experience for thousands of children. I've read what C.S. Lewis wrote about his own nightmarish school. Thanks for this testimony. It has been a blessing. C. S. Lewis has had a profound effect on the lives of many people. His life and works are like a golden thread of blessing that continues to bring light and hope to the world.
"To go back to my pre-Christian days would be like going back to some form of madness." Wow. What a note to end on. Thank you, Merrie Gesham, for sharing this candid testimony with the world. It will do an enormous amount of good. God bless you, Douglas, and all you love.
And the hope of endurance. I've coined a phrase for myself which is "it will take my whole life to live my whole life." And I know that God will be there to meet me when I arrive to that point.
Dear Merrie; What a testimony this is. I can so relate to the double life, and the anger (not knowing where it was coming from)I do know now. My recovery is slow but realizing that Jesus gave his life for me, and wants me at peace. Thank you for sharing.
Rejection. Truly the most devastating thing that can happen in a child's life. No human can heal it. But God can... and he LOVES to step in and do it! Thank you, John for letting Merrie share her story. It is something I desperately needed to hear at this time!
Merrie, you were a victim of narcissistic abuse inflicted by your mother. God bless you, Merry, for surviving that! You are so courageous and an inspiration!
My grandfather once said that Jesus is a bird and that churches are cages: I think I understand him more as time goes by. God loves us all equally, eternally, immensely and without exception. The healing expanse of such love is ineffable and transformative entirely. How beautiful this story was... and affirming. It does seem like fate was in the mix. May we heed the whispers of our angels - messengers of that Love. Blessings to everyone.
The first thing my friend said afterwards was you seem to think before you speak now.......I read the Bible, Koran, lots of godly ways of healing. It’s a joy to hear you and see you . Thanks for hanging out with me today Mary
Marrie is so beautiful and so is her story. Thank you for sharing your story Merrie. I love how Douglas said, "I had seen this girl that I had been looking for all my life, and I recognised her." What a precious people and couple you are. God bless!
This is a great testimony. Lovely to hear a bit of Merrie's story which I hadn't heard before. It's wonderful the part that Lewis played in the healing/redemption of his stepson's wife, and great to see those George MacDonald books on the shelf behind Douglas when he's on camera!
I enjoyed both stories that I heard and they both touched my heart and you both ment a lot by the way you told the stories and it was touching I believed if I head more stories like this it would help me all so so if you have any more of your self I would Like to hear them because both of them was very great and I appricate you for letting me hear them that was a blessing and they were very great thank you for letting me here you
The key is to yield to God Almighty as Jesus is nnocking at the door. Only me inside my door, and you inside your door, can ipen the soor to the peraon of Jesus Christ . When you do this, life will turn to a devotion to His Word and His Will for each of our lives.
@@katharinebuckman2815 That’s true, but as I was listening to Merrie’s story, I was stunned how she as a child, mistook the instruction to give her suffering to God as an offering. So sad. He is there to take our burdens upon Himself-has already taken them and wants to LIFT our burdens from us! I also grew up in Africa, but I never had to go to boarding school. Later when my husband and I were in Indonesia, and saw the missionary children there in the mission school, and first-graders sitting on the front row of church, my heart went out to them, and I felt I could never, ever leave my child in a boarding school. God wants us to cast our cares on Him and know He cares for us and wants to comfort us. In that case, “yielding” to Him is a much different proposition than what Merrie thought. His Word becomes food for our souls, and in His presence is fullness of Joy. (I, too, had to stop looking to my husband to be God to me! And release my anger and look to God instead.) It was horrifying to me to think that little Merrie couldn’t look to God for help and didn’t realize how much He loved her. Every child needs to learn that first-hand. We love Him because He first loved us! 💝❤️ Merrie finally did learned this through her pain, and through the love that God sent her through a husband who loved her. She was able to share the reality of how she came to love Jesus so beautifully. We should all share our stories because we never know what people have suffered through.
Lovely testimony and witness. So was she brought up Anglican or Catholic? She doesn't say. She is still a very handsome woman. A greater appreciation for Douglas Gresham now.
Amazing story, so much in it to learn from. LOVE must be be real to have a positive effect. But God will "cause all things to work together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes."
It is this lady's true honesty that puts such light in her face. Light in her heart. Her wisdom is real too. "We let other people be our gods for us. " And if we have them as our happiness, it is a big shift to let go and turn to the true God.
I miss you Merrie. I had many good times with you. Thank you for allowing me to live in your home and be a part of your life. Love you Merrie, outrageous blessings on you 💝
Two very precious souls on a journey through the deep tough love truths about themselves and the Redeemer. Really appreciate the transparency and honesty, thank you both and John too.
Thank you Merrie! You have touched my heart in a very personal way. We've similar past history and I would love to meet you one day. If God doesn't permit it in this life on earth I look forward with greetings in heaven. Your sister in Christ, Tori Migliore Ferris
Her story is similar to mine, especially wanting affection from males. I also became pregnant and had an abortion which even when I did it, I knew it was a life and I always regretted it. (I would have dreams of getting married in a "pink" wedding dress rather than in white.). Many years later I decided to follow Jesus and found new life in Him. I am thankful today--I am old now-- that He died for my sins but there are still consequences. I hurt myself and my unborn child, but God knows me, and one day in heaven I will meet my child. I don't know how that will happen, but God knows, and He has a plan for my life, "a plan for good and not for evil". Praise the Lord, there is hope in Christ. For anyone reading this, there is life in Christ if we turn to Him. I have special understanding of other young women who are looking for love "in all the wrong places" as I did. They needed love and God loves them. There is hope in Christ, and I am grateful.
