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Tara Johnson

sharing stories through writing, speaking and singing

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Forgiveness

Breaking Free Part Two

March 15, 2020 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

In part one, we looked at the very real possibility that many of us, although we accepted the freedom Jesus bought for us, continue to have our minds and emotions stuck in the ‘slavery mindset’. It conditions a person to accept harmful circumstances to themselves as the natural order of things. They view their own worth through their master’s eyes. They believe about themselves what they have been told to believe, whether it’s true or not. The dichotomy between our freedom and the slavery mindset Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: breaking free, Forgiveness, Freedom, identity in Christ, wounds

Shattering the Fairytale Part 2: Rewriting the Story

January 27, 2020 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

In part one, I told you all about how those pesky Disney princess messed me up, as well as diving into how perfectly unhappy I became trying to be, well, perfect. Am I the only recovering perfectionist out there? I left you dangling with this question: now that we recognize the problem, and see what causes it, what will we do about it? 1. First of all, remind yourself that God loves you no matter how well, or how poorly, you perform. “In all these Read More

Filed Under: perfectionism Tagged With: embracing imperfection, Forgiveness, people pleasing, perfectionism, safe people, unconditional love

When Forgiving Seems Impossible: Part 3

July 19, 2019 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and realize that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes There are a lot of false ideas floating around about what forgiveness truly is. These distorted concepts and ideologies are so rampant that upon hearing phenomenal acts of forgiveness (like those of Rose Mapendo, Corrie Ten Boom, and others), people are quick to shake their heads. “I could never forgive that.” Let’s be clear: forgiveness is not saying what the offender did is okay. It is not Read More

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: cutting yourself free from those who hurt you, east to the west, forgive, Forgiveness, forgiving yourself, what forgiveness is, what forgiveness is not

When Forgiving Seems Impossible Part 2: Rose Mapendo

June 17, 2019 By Tara Johnson 2 Comments

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. ” (Matthew 5:43-45) I don’t know about you but loving my enemies can be a tall order sometimes. People can be hurtful. Even downright mean. It’s easy to want to defend ourselves or our loved ones, to right the wrong, or inflict the same kind of hurt Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: forgive, Forgiveness, forgiveness heals, Freedom, radical forgiveness, Rose Mapendo, transform

When Forgiving Seems Impossible: Part 1

June 8, 2019 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

“Lord, you want me to forgive them? But did you see what happened? Really?” If you’ve lived longer than, oh, say a week on planet Earth, forgiveness is likely something you’ve struggled with. Mean, manipulative people are everywhere. In all honesty, it’s not much of a struggle for me when nonbelievers tear me or my family apart with hastily flung barbs. Lost people are supposed to act lost. My greatest struggle in forgiving the lacerations of a too-sharp tongue or well-placed arrow have come from Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: anger, Forgiveness, God, how to forgive, Jesus, prayer, prayer to forgive, resentment, when forgiving is hard

French Drains, Loving Your Enemies, and Pot Pie

May 22, 2019 By Tara Johnson 1 Comment

The pounding on the door startled me. We hadn’t been home very long. Returning from my father-in-law’s funeral and all that entailed had been exhausting. My husband peeked through the glass. “Do you know this guy?” The man standing on the front porch gave off the vibe of a tightly coiled rattler. I shook my head. “Never seen him.” Todd frowned but opened the door to the stranger with a welcoming smile. “Hello! Can I help you?” The stranger was stocky. His neck was mottled Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: agape love, anger, chicken, chicken pot pie, compassion, dog, Forgiveness, forgiving, serving

The Seeing Blind

March 20, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

In this present darkness, most of us feel oppressed at every turn. We sense spiritual forces battling it out. Good versus evil. Angels versus demons. Light against shadows. We’ve been taught to be good soldiers for Christ. Take up our cross and fight. Fight for truth. Fight for our children. Fight, well, for everything. Speaking the truth is always the right thing to do. We must speak what God has declared to be true, omitting nothing. But one thing most of us forget is this: Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized Tagged With: broken, Forgiveness, God, God's love, good fight, good news, gospel, healing, hope, hurting, Jesus, Love, Scandalous love, scars, sin, social media, truth, truth and love

Radical Love, Radical Forgiveness

January 24, 2016 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. ” (Matthew 5:43-45) I don’t know about you but loving my enemies can be a tall order sometimes. People can be hurtful. Even downright mean. It’s easy to want to defend ourselves or our loved ones, to right the wrong, or inflict the same kind of hurt we have Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Walking with God Tagged With: embracing obscurity, forgive, Forgiveness, love of God, love transforms, love your enemies

The Forgetting: Learning to Forgive…and Forget

September 14, 2015 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

by Tara Johnson “I’ll forgive but I can’t forget.”  Have you heard this phrase before? Me too. Maybe you’ve thought it or even spoken it on occasion. It’s an understandable sentiment because, let’s face it, forgiveness is sometimes extremely difficult. The deeper the hurt, the more grievous the wound, the more jagged the scar, the harder forgiveness becomes. There are three undeniable ways to feel shackled, stuck and unhappy in your walk with God: 1) believe Satan’s lies, 2) embrace the very things Jesus died Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: forgive and forget, Forgiveness, help learning to forget old hurt, learning to let go, Letting God heal your wound, prayer for forgiving others

There’s No Pit So Deep…

June 11, 2015 By Tara Johnson 2 Comments

Sometimes we’re so busy living in shame, beating ourselves up for our past, that we neglect to remember what God forgives. Can Jesus forgive you if you’ve had an abortion? Absolutely. Can Jesus forgive you if you’ve dabbled in drugs and alcohol and are now battling addiction? Without a doubt. Can Jesus forgive you if you’ve had an affair? Of course. Can Jesus forgive you if you’ve delved into the dark world of pornography and contaminated your mind? Yep. Can Jesus forgive the backslidden, the Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine Tagged With: Forgiveness, Mistakes, WhatGodForgives

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Meet Tara

Tara JohnsonTara Johnson is a writer, singer, speaker and passionate lover of stories. Tara uses fiction, nonfiction, song and laughter to share her testimony of how God led her into freedom after spending years living shackled to the expectations of others. She lives in central Arkansas with her husband and children.

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