Letting Go of Bitterness & Unforgiveness
A conversation between Alleigh Jezek, guests; and Devaughn Williamson, host.
Alleigh has had her fair share of tough moments in life, like we all do. She mentioned how one of those moments was dealing with the pain associated with the broken relationship she had with her dad. She grew up as a seasonal church-goer who would attend Easter and Christmas time. As a result, she never got the opportunity to develop that relationship with God. That left her feeling like she was always searching for her worth through different avenues such as sports, achievements, or even trying to fill the gap left by her dad’s absence.
What was just a broken relationship with her dad ended up becoming a grip of bitterness and anger that lasted for years. These emotions fueled Alliegh’s actions that made her feel justified for her dad because she wanted him to feel the same pain she felt. Once Alleigh got saved, that began to change. The Lord began to convict her heart to forgive her dad.
Alleigh shares a story, of while on a 12 mile run, of how she wrestled with the idea of having to forgive her father. She felt justified in having her hurt, anger, and pain. But in the end, she decided it’s time to have that hard conversation with her dad. She texted her dad, and even though she didn’t get the apology she maybe hoped for, she got something better—peace.
A revelation that Alleigh shares with many teenagers is that forgiveness is not about the other person. It’s about you letting go of the burden and not letting it control you anymore. Now when Alleigh sees her dad, she no longer thinks about his past or old wounds. Instead she sees him the way God sees him - with love, grace, and mercy. Practically, their relationship has taken on a different dynamic which involves dinner every Monday night. This restoration testifies to that God can do if we allow Him to work in our situation.
Alleigh shares another story about when she was at a house party and her neighbors were invited. There was one neighbor in particular that she knew was an alcoholic. During this time, Alleigh would drink alcohol but that quickly changed when she saw the effect it had on her family. The simple but powerful revelation made her realize that driving isn’t just about me having fun, it’s about how my actions can lead others to stumble.
That was a turning point for her. She realized that God calls us not to get drunk or be a stumbling block, not to kill our fun, but because it impacts the people we care about. She decided to quit drinking altogether, even though she was still under 21, and just laid that part of her life down completely.
After making that life change while in college, hanging out with her friends became hard because they were all still partying. She had to have those conversations multiple times as to why she was no longer joining in on the “fun”. The hardest part of this life change was Alleigh's friends thinking she was judging them, even when she wasn't.They just couldn’t understand how she’d made such a 180, and she had to walk that line of loving them without compromising her own convictions.
To strengthen her resolve to live a life for God, she leaned more into her faith by spending more time with God and others in a godly community. She even deleted SnapChat and stopped going to the parties she used to go to. In the end, she felt much freer and happier.
Lastly Alleigh shared about how her faith really became her own. She realized that truly came when she decided to surrender her future to God. She felt the call to go into full-time ministry even though she was studying to be a physical therapist. She wrestled with God for months, praying for Him to make it crystal clear. And He did! Her boss basically told her she’d be perfect for ministry, confirming everything she’d been feeling.
Alleigh’s story is all about how surrendering to God—no matter how scary it feels—ends up freeing you, not trapping you. She realized it’s not about following rules for the sake of it, but about trusting that God loves you enough to guide you into something so much better. And in the end, that’s what made her faith real.
If Alleigh’s story inspired you, consider sharing it with someone who needs encouragement. And I encourage you to partner with Faith Ignite to help bring more stories of hope to the world. Together, we can spread messages of God's faithfulness to those who need it most.
Devaughn Williamson President, Faith Ignite Inc
