Laura Lentz, the wife of former Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz, is breaking her silence six months after his firing.
Lentz posted a message to her followers Wednesday on Instagram alongside a photo of palm trees against blue skies. Though she didn't directly mention her husband's dismissal from Hillsong — which the megachurch attributed to his "moral failures" — or his subsequent infidelity scandal, she alluded to overcoming strife.
"i have looked at these palm trees everyday for the past few months & there are many symbolic meanings to these amazing trees. a few that have resonated with me during this season of my life: they are strong, can weather the biggest storms, they always grow upwards. freedom, righteousness, reward, resurrection just to name a few," she began in her caption.
Lentz, who married her husband in 2003 and shares three children with him, said she took time away from social media "because it was not good" for her soul.
"i have blocked & deleted more people & comments than i can count. trolls are cowards, SOME 'Christians' are anything but kind, gracious, or loving...but that won’t stop me from growing upwards & getting stronger," she wrote.
She also revealed she'd learned "a lot" about herself over the past months, and had discovered who her "true" friends are.
"now more than ever i know the kindness of God, His grace, forgiveness & strength. i have found true friendships — the ones who have been with me on the mountaintops are the same ones who are with me during my darkest valley!! i will not forget who abandoned us, but i choose to keep my heart free of bitterness & remain thankful for those that have stayed & loved us."
She added, "i don’t want to judge others nor do i want to be judged."
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Lentz concluded her post by sharing what a friend told her about looking for the good in others.
"one thing a friend told me during this time is, 'i would rather be accused of being too gracious toward someone, over being accused of judging someone too harshly' ... i want to be known as a woman who sees the good in people & truly loves people unconditionally," she shared.
The mom of three added the hashtags #youcanonlychangeyou, #lovewins and #growupwards.
A day after his firing from Hillsong last November, Carl Lentz announced that he had been unfaithful in his marriage.
"Our time at HillsongNYC has come to an end. This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting and special chapter of our lives," Lentz said in a statement, which he shared on Instagram next to a photo of the couple and their children.
"I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that," added Lentz, a onetime spiritual adviser to pop star Justin Bieber.
"This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions. I now begin a journey of rebuilding trust with my wife, Laura and my children and taking real time to work on and heal my own life and seek out the help that I need," he wrote.
Described as a "contemporary Christian church," Hillsong, which has locations in more than 20 countries, has been known for attracting celebrity worshippers, including Bieber, his wife Hailey, and sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner.
Lentz was the lead pastor of the church's New York location.
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