My Story: Forgiving a Drunk Driver | Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Kenneth Copeland Ministries Partners Tom and Tiki Finlayson understand just how difficult, powerful and transformative forgiveness can be. They did the unimaginable when they forgave the drunk driver who killed their 25-year-old son. On July 31, 2011, they received the news that their son Kevin had been hit head on as he was driving home from work. He died the next day. That’s when the Tom and Tiki’s journey to forgiveness began.

While still in the hospital, still reeling from their son’s death, Tom and Tiki began to pray. That’s when Tiki surprised herself and uttered the words, “Lord, I forgive her and what she’s done to our family.”

That served as confirmation to Tom as he had already received an unction from the Lord to forgive the drunk driver, too.

Of course, saying that they would forgive the drunk driver and actually experiencing complete forgiveness took time. “Eventually, because I kept speaking God’s Word, even though I didn’t feel like it, even though my head was yelling other things at me, I continued to work through that process of speaking the Word and speaking over myself, it eventually changed my feelings. I chose to not allow what this woman did to trap me in a jail cell when I had the key to let me go. Forgiveness is freedom.”

But personal forgiveness wasn’t enough. At the parole hearing for Latisha Stephens, the drunk driver, Tiki announced her forgiveness and became part of Latisha’s early release from prison.

In January of 2014, the two began speaking together at high schools, rehabilitation centers, community events, television shows, and anywhere and everywhere else that will allow them to share their story and talk about the dangers of drunk driving.

Watch Tom and Tiki Finlayson’s testimony of forgiving a drunk driver. And if you need someone to pray and encourage you in your own forgiveness journey, contact Kenneth Copeland Ministries (http://www.kcm.org/contact-us) to speak to or email a prayer minister.

We’re here for you!

For more information about Tiki Finlayson, click to the following pages:
http://www.tikifinlayson.com
http://www.purposechurchtn.com
http://www.iam1n3.org