#YourStory: Jana Kennedy-Spicer

Her graphics are a holy art form, a gift from God. Her testimony is a testament to our Daddy’s faithfulness. And her words? They are here today for your encouragement. Please meet fellow blogger, Compel trainee, and graphic artist extraodinaire: Jana Kennedy-Spicer. 
swarming locust

Photo Credit: Jana Kennedy-Spicer

Digging Out From The Rubble

Being a native of Dallas, I was glued to the TV with thousands of others as we watched our iconic Texas Stadium being imploded.   Shortly after dawn on April 11, 2010 the button was pushed and all of the previously placed dynamite charges exploded. In just a matter of seconds, what had once been the vibrant and thriving home to our beloved Dallas Cowboys became a pile of broken and discarded debris.

Watching, I couldn’t help but be taken back to another implosion. The morning in 2004 when the abusive actions of a family member were made known – and our family imploded.

What in one moment was vibrant and thriving, lay broken in a pile of dust and debris in the next. In the moment of a single breath, our whole world changed. 

I inhaled on the top of the world and exhaled, gasping for air, buried under a pile of broken so heavy I thought I would never resurface.

But God.

But God gave me a promise.

“I will rebuild and restore your family.”

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25a

I’ve never heard the audible voice of God, but I’ve heard Him speak through the Spirit in my soul. And this message was plain and clear. So I had a choice, do I believe? We were in such a place, so broken, so separate, so bitter, so hurt, so angry; I knew the only way any of us could ever come back together would be a real live miracle personally executed by the holy hand of God.

So I chose to believe.

But I didn’t just believe, I believed with expectation. I began looking and watching and waiting and anticipating that day – that moment of restoration – like a kid waits for Christmas morning. I KNEW that day was coming, restoration was coming!

I just didn’t know long it would actually take, and how much worse it would get while we were waiting.

But God also gave me a charge.

“Forgive him”

“but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” Matthew 6:15

Now wait a minute God, surely you don’t mean I have to forgive this? Yes, I had to forgive – even this.

Forgiveness. I know now that I had no idea then, what that word truly meant. God took me on such a journey. It wasn’t overnight, it took years honestly, but God enabled me to forgive the unforgivable – once I made the choice to be obedient to Him.

The ladies from our church were gathered together for a weekend retreat. As a few of us held hands, our leader asked who wanted to offer their prayer request first, from my heart echoed, “forgive him.” I tried to shake it off, but I kept hearing “forgive him”. When each lady in our group had voiced their request and been prayed over, it was my turn.

In a cracking voice, I’m surprised anyone understood, I admitted my dilemma – and my disobedience. “Someone hurt my child …. And God keeps telling me I have to forgive him.” Then these beautiful women of God, surrounded me, laid hands on me and began to pray.

I could hold on no longer and at that moment, when I let go, I began to understand and experience the truth of forgiving others. One by one I felt God lifting off the weight each hurt, the ache of bitterness, the sting of every angry word, and yes, even the guilt I was carrying for myself.

After spending years trapped under the rubble and striving in vain to dig a way out, for the first time I could see a light through the rubble. The light of day, the light of hope, the light of my Lord reaching down and making a way.

There have been so many days that I wished God’s timing was my timing. In this microwave world, we want what we want and we want it with the least amount of effort possible.

But God.

But God wants us to be holy.

God wants to sanctify us. God wants us to fulfill our kingdom purpose. And in my personal experience, that doesn’t happen with a microwave life.

Just a few days ago, in my Facebook feed, several “memories” popped up. One, I know for sure was a reminder from God that He is faithful to deliver what He promises:

“havn lunch with all 3 kiddos and all 3 grbabies! First time I’ve had all of them together around the same table at the same time in forever!! My heart is happy!”


“But the righteous by faith shall live.” Habakkuk 2:4

That memory was from 2011. I’ll do the math for you – 7 years. Oh yes, God is faithful indeed! His timing is not our timing, but His ways are perfect!

If you are in your storm, in your battle, in the pit or buried under the rubble – Call out to Him. Wait on Him. Believe in Him. He is faithful!

Blessings Soul Friends,

Jana

About Jana~

Untitled

Jana Kennedy-Spicer is a wife, mom and Nana who is passionate about inspiring and encouraging women on their daily walk with Christ. A woman rescued and repaired by the grace of God, she loves to share about the realness of God’s love, redemption and faithfulness.

You can connect with Jana on her website: www.SweetToTheSoul.com and social media.

Facebook: Sweet To The Soul Ministries

twitter: @_SweetToTheSoul

Instagram: jana_sweettothesoul

Pinterest: sweettothesoul

Do you struggle with rejection?

Removing the Sting of Rejection

Subscribe below to receive the 3-day devotional Removing the Sting of Rejection in your inbox for FREE. Use this devotional to build your spiritual muscles to counter the sting of rejection.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

26 Comments

  1. Oh Jana, you touched my heart today with this! Your image is so clear. One moment can change a once strong building into a pile of rubble. But God!! Thank you for this post:) And thank you Kristi for sharing!

  2. Thank-you so much Jana for sharing a part of your story and piece of your heart. Joel 2:25 is a precious promise and I’m so glad I read it here today. May I leave you this verse from Isaiah 44:26 [AMP] . . .

    Confirming the word of His servant
    And carrying out the plan of His messengers.
    It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be inhabited!’
    And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall [again] be built.’
    And I will raise up and restore her ruins.

  3. Jana- you are wise! May your wisdom found I. his promises encourage many others to see light in their darkest situations. Working with someone right now who needs this message! Thank you for sharing!

  4. What a beautiful testimony to the power of forgiveness. Thanks for sharing Jana’s story, Kristi, and for linking up at Testimony Tuesday! I work with children who have been abused and neglected and for a while now, God has been resonating in me that we are missing a piece of healing for them if we are not helping them learn to forgive. It is a hard road, but one that has great joy at the end!

    1. Holly, yes forgiveness is such a huge part. For me, understanding that my daughter needed to forgive him in order to move on was a huge motivator for me. I knew as long as I harbored anger and resentment I was a stumbling block to her. So many powerful lessons God taught me about forgiveness.
      Blessings!

    1. It’s a beautiful example of the Lord’s power played out in real life. It’s an honor to host Jana. Thanks for visiting, Melissa.

  5. Jana, your story is such a beautiful testament to God’s faithfulness and grace, even when our circumstances look bleak and overwhelming. Thank you for your authenticity in sharing. You are a gift.

  6. The power in this testimony touched me deeply today. Thank you for sharing this Jana and thank you Kristi for opening your space to hold and share this beautiful story of redemption and forgiveness. God’s timing is always perfect and His voice is the one we need to be seeing amongst all the other voices. Blessings!

  7. “But God wants us to be holy.” ~ Love that statement. That about says it all, doesn’t it? I don’t think that there’s a mom who wouldn’t struggle to forgive in that situation…what a sweet testament to God that you were able to be obedient to Him. Thank you for sharing, Jana. 🙂 And, thank you for posting, Kristi. 🙂 ((hug))

  8. Your story resonated with me as in my own case, I was the child sinned against. I, too, know the profound joy there is is surrendering to Jesus my “right” to be angry in obeying His commandment to forgive. Thank-you for sharing this beautiful testimony.