There are chapters of my life I never expected to walk through—chapters I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Abuse leaves marks that the eye cannot see, and it sends your soul into terrain you never imagined you’d have to navigate. There were days when breathing felt like a battle, when getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain, and when I wondered if the pain would ever loosen its grip on my life. But even in those darkest days, when the world felt silent and God felt far away, something sacred was happening: He was redeeming my story in ways I couldn’t yet see. I didn’t know it then, but every step I took—whether trembling, crawling, or barely moving at all—was leading me into a future God had already written with hope, purpose, and restoration.
Survivors often hear, “You’re so strong,” but strength rarely feels like strength when you are fighting to hold yourself together. What carried me wasn’t my own power; it was God’s steady hand on my life when everything else was falling apart. He saw every tear I cried behind closed doors. He heard every prayer whispered from a heart that felt shattered. He caught every piece of me that was breaking—and gently began putting me back together. Pain didn’t disqualify me. Trauma didn’t destroy me. It actually became the soil where new strength, new identity, and new purpose began to grow.
I’ve walked through days so dark that it felt like the sun might never rise. Abuse tries to convince you that your story is over, that you’re too broken, too damaged, too lost ever to be whole again. But abuse does not have the final say. God does. And God is a Redeemer. He takes what was meant to destroy you and uses it to build you stronger. He takes what was supposed to silence you and turns it into a testimony. He takes every lie spoken over you and replaces it with dignity, identity, and truth. Where others saw weakness, God saw a warrior. Where others tried to oppress, God prepared to elevate. Where others tried to erase your worth, God wrote it into eternity.
I’ve lived through moments that should have crushed me. I’ve endured things that still bring tears to my eyes when I think about them. But here’s the truth: I am still standing. I am still healing. I am still rising. Not because of who harmed me, but because of who holds me. Every time I thought I’d reached the end, God whispered, “This is where I begin.” Every time I felt abandoned, He reminded me, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Every time I questioned my future, He said, “I am making all things new.” And He is—not just in my life, but in yours, too.
If you are reading this and you feel like the darkness is still thick around you, if you feel like you’ve lost too much, or you’ve been hurt too deeply, if you wonder whether restoration is possible for someone like you, hear me: God is not done. The pages of your story are still turning. The healing you long for is still unfolding. The redemption you can’t yet see is already in motion. What others used to break you, God will use to bless you. What tried to destroy you will become the very testimony that sets others free. What felt like the end will become the beginning of something beautiful, something you never imagined was possible.
There is hope for you. There is healing for you. There is joy ahead for you. Whether your steps are steady or trembling, keep going. Whether your voice is strong or quiet, keep speaking. Whether your faith feels certain or fragile, keep holding on. Because God is not just redeeming my story—He’s redeeming yours, too. And the same God who brought me through every valley, every battle, every storm, is walking with you right now. You are not forgotten. You are not forsaken. And you are not too broken to be made whole again. Your best chapters have yet to be written.
Survivor Speaks Truth 