Deliver

me from Evil

The first time I heard the Lord’s prayer was when I was nine years old.

A neighbor who attended the local Catholic school invited me to mass one Sunday morning. I was so impressed that she knew when to sit, stand, kneel, and recite this prayer. I had only ever visited Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches with my family, though mostly on holidays or special occasions.

When I was twelve, my parents divorced and my mother encouraged me to attend an Episcopalian church with her. I welcomed the idea and volunteered to be an altar girl on Sunday mornings and I committed to memorizing the Lord’s prayer and the Apostles Creed.

“I admired the beauty and pageantry of church, the poetry of the Psalms and beauty of the hymns, but didn’t understand why Jesus needed to die to take away my sins. ”

I admired the beauty and pageantry of church, the poetry of the Psalms and beauty of the hymns, but didn’t understand why Jesus needed to die to take away my sins. Of course, I had disobeyed my parents, lied, and made bad decisions, but the horrible price of death on a cross simply didn’t seem fair to take away my sins. I tried to read the Bible, but I had so many questions and doubts, so I never made it past Genesis.

My junior year of college I met Ryan Flory in the business building. As a member of the business fraternity, it was my job to interview all prospective pledges. I was immediately impressed with this cute, new pledge who was smart, funny, witty, and fun to be around. We discovered we were both accounting majors, had lots in common, and quickly developed a relationship.

I remember declaring to my dad after only a few weeks that I had found the one! As we talked about marriage, we both knew we wanted a church wedding, but did not know which church. Ryan’s grandmother was a devout Catholic and it meant a lot to her to have a priest at the wedding, so that made our decision for us. We went to pre-marital counseling where the priest warned us of our need for God, but we still did not make church a priority.

After five years of marriage, God blessed us with Colin. The question of religion came up again as we needed to make a decision as to whether or not to baptize Colin. Ryan’s grandmother placed a seed in our heart once more and we decided to baptize him at the local Catholic church. I did not learn much from the Catholic mass and we could never agree on a church to go to, so church didn’t become a priority once more.

Soon after having my firstborn, I experienced postpartum depression and struggled with becoming a working mother. I felt anger, disappointment, exhaustion. What followed was sin. Jealousy, greed, and many other sins all began to take root and wreak havoc in my life.

My family was broken.
My marriage was broken.
I was broken.

As the weight of my sins began to bury me, I remembered the Lord’s prayer and asked Him to deliver me from evil. I repeated the Apostles Creed I had memorized so many years earlier and wrestled with the question of whether I truly believed in God.

In that moment, His Spirit pricked my heart on that fateful day and my sins were exposed. I felt His tangible presence as I made the difficult decision to fight for my family and my marriage. My loving husband showed the mercy and grace of Jesus as he committed to save our marriage.

We attended a non-denominational church the following week after our counselor suggested we seek a church. During the service, the pastor spoke directly to our hearts.

For the first time, I understood my need for a savior and why Jesus had to pay the price for my sins.
I learned about a God that loved me and wanted a relationship with me.
My mind was opened to the spiritual battles surrounding us.
For the first time, I realized I had been missing out on the unconditional love, peace and joy that only God could provide.

My husband and I both committed to following Jesus and began to study the Bible for the first time in our lives. The pastor taught us to take one step of faith to follow Jesus and his Spirit would show up every step of the way.

“As my relationship with the Lord grew, I was continually filled with gratitude.”

God provided us with a path of freedom and redemption as we began our new lives in Houston. He provided us with a wonderful church community and many faith filled friends who taught us daily what it looked like to walk in faith and love. As my relationship with the Lord grew, I was continually filled with gratitude.

We have lived in Houston for ten years now and the shame and embarrassment of my choices has kept me from sharing my story with anyone. I caused so much pain and damage during those troubled years that it was difficult for me to admit my sins. Because of God’s grace and mercy, I realized it was time to share my testimony.

God is working more than ever on my story and I am filled with peace in knowing that I am on His path.

I believe God has allowed various trials in my life, including a recent brain cancer diagnosis, to call me closer to Him. He protected me during emergency brain surgery and blessed me with an amazing doctor that was able to remove the tumor with minimal damage. It is only by His provision that we are in Houston with the wonderful medical facilities that will help me fight this cancer.

The Lord has continually answered prayers since we first put our faith in Him. He blessed us with two more healthy children and the ability for me to stay at home with them. He healed my mother from a brain tumor and made it possible for her to live close to us, as I need her help more than ever now. He blessed Ryan with a wonderful career and the ability to work from home during the recent quarantine.

I am more committed than ever to dedicate my life to Christ; to surrender, to disciple, to love, and to worship. I am grateful for each day and I will strive to live in His Light and spread that light to others. My kids are learning the Lord’s prayer as I realize how fundamental those words were for my foundation. The Lord has delivered me from evil and for that I will be forever grateful.