My mother-in-law has caused more damage to her family than anyone I’ve ever known. I deeply dislike her, as do all her children. My husband has nothing good to say about her, and because of the way he grew up with her, he developed biases towards women that have affected our marriage.

However, in the past 48 hours, I believe I have witnessed the miraculous healing that comes through forgiveness. I use the word “miraculous” because there is no logical explanation for how or why inner walls can break down so quickly. During our marriage retreat, we spent an entire weekend learning mental tools just to begin breaking down emotional barriers.

Seeing Mom suffer through death, I think our hearts realized that she, too, is just another victim. I once saw her as the source of evil in the family, but now I see her as a victim of the devil’s schemes. It’s proven true that the devil’s ultimate goal is destruction, and I believe when my husband witnessed that so clearly, something shifted in his heart as well.

The way my husband talks about his mom has completely changed. I can sense tremendous forgiveness in the family, and in that presence, healing has flowed in.