Ruth Graham on Forgiving Her Famous Father - Billy Graham

The daughter of Billy Graham explains how her freedom came through forgiveness, which including forgiving herself and her famous father.

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[beachbum]

The greatest gift a parent can give a child is an upbringing they don't have to spend their adult years recovering from.

[maapat]

They DIDN'T gossip about us they prayed for us...powerful statement indeed ..that's what is missing in today's world

[vickijohnson]

Look how God used this beautiful lady’s experiences to help Christian men and women survive failed marriages. And look at patterns of behavior.
God loves us so much.
💕🙏🏾💕✝️

[davidneal]

If it weren't for Billy Graham I wouldn't have come to Christ in 84 when he came to England and preached at Aston villa football ground on July 2nd 1984.

[leighcunningham]

The lady conducting the interview is empathetic and knows how to ask questions without being invasive.

[gapch]

Many years ago, I heard an interview with Rev. Graham. He said his biggest regret was not spending more time with his family.

[jiraheta]

For those calling her out for 4 marriages, I think the lesson here is that if you don’t fix the cores issues, you’re gonna keep making the sane mistakes. That’s what happened to her and she’s sharing her story so you don’t go through that cycle as long as she did. Take notes instead! I think is so brave of her to share her story. Can you imagine the hate she gets from people for having 4 marriages? But she still shares her testimony to give us wisdom so we don’t go the same route.

[RosilindJukic]

What I love most about this interview is that while she was honest about her parents imperfections, she honored them greatly and recognized her own need to follow through with Scriptural forgiveness.

[elizabethy]

My father was a preacher who really looked up to Reverend Graham. Our family was also conditioned to never show any negative emotions. My father preached and thought that all emotions by women, was evil . He had no love, but would preach the truth from the pulpit. It wasn't until after I had my last child that my father died, and about 10 years after that that I could even begin to contemplate the need to forgive him for all the mixed messages from my childhood. I can relate very much to so much of her story. I'm so grateful to hear that " forgiveness" isn't a magical wave of the wand, but is given by the grace of Jesus, and is sometimes a long process.

[moanabell]

“Forgiveness is unconditional
Reconciliation is conditioned - on the changed behaviour of the one whose done the wounding”. Gold!👌🙌

[lsalinas]

I love that line: there are no excuses, but sometimes there are reasons.

[Happinessisachoice]

4 marriages, 4 divorces all go back to not having a present parent! You can have all the success but if you don't raise your children, what have you truly done? Why didn't an elder or mentor speak to Reverend Graham and say, "You have 4 children and they need a Daddy?" God bless you Ruth for speaking up! This will help so many men and women of God balance work and Christian parenthood.

[maryann]

I was taught the same thing. A Christian should not be angry. Even when you have been betrayed. I had a heart attack at 46 and now I have heart failure at 73. I bottled everything up. But God gave us emotions appropriate at times.

[bealivingmiracle]

The interviewer is Maggie John. She is delightful, poised, and disarming. Great interview with Ruth Graham. Well done.

[bethbrown]

I am 63 and I have spent my life searching for security. Two failed marriages taught was looking for love in all the wrong places. I am loved by my heavenly father and I know he is always there for me and will always take care of me. I have such peace. Thank you Heavenly Father!!

[g.g.]

This is such a valuable testimony. Thank you for being brave and not hiding away, Ruth. I have been through divorce three times, and being a multiple divorcee is a shameful, isolating thing to endure in the church. The few times I've been able to speak over my heart pounding and confide my testimony to a sister in the church, it was met with false sympathy followed by gossip and condemnation. Very few have been able to understand the impact on a little girl's heart of a father who is angry and unloving, or that a broken woman tends to attract predatory men. It's like starting life with a house left unlocked instead of protected, all the doors and windows broken open for anyone to enter as they please, and the owner of the house doesn't know she has rights or that the home is valuable.
After going through more betrayal and adultery than I thought I could endure, my brother's reaction was always silence, indifference...even blame, which only reinforced the cycle. The men who mattered most to my heart simply did not value it. When I finally surrendered my deep desire for love and marriage to Jesus, when I finally took ownership of my role and my sin, repenting and trusting Him for a heart of singleness if that was what He wanted...when He glued my ears to audio Bible and washed my soul with his Word... The love of Yeshua our Messiah changed everything. To everyone who extends grace and love to each woman at the well, you are being Jesus and healing broken hearts.

[bushelandapeckxo]

She said she “was raised in a world of honorable men” THAT is a HUGE blessing. So rare!! Every life has its disappointments.

[rachelfaith]

I didn’t realize how much I actually needed to hear this. Wow.
😭 Jesus is my rock and sustainer.

[bdr]

Family is also a ministry, I hope people especially Christian Leaders always keep that in mind.

[julietteyork]

The bottom line is that children of highly successful parents often suffer in similar ways. Whether the parent is a famous preacher or politician, the children typically come second to the parent’s career. In order to reach the very highest rung on the ladder of success you have to be singularly focused, at the expense of your personal life.

In the case of Ruth Graham, she’s telling us that her father’s absence was problematic, as was her mother’s emotional distance. I admire and respect Ruth’s honesty and courage, along with her faith.