From the Mire to the Rock: 

For a long time, my testimony was something I carried in silence. Not because God hadn’t been good—but because I carried deep shame about who I was before I met Jesus. My childhood was unstable and marked by trauma. My mom battled addiction, and during the time I spent with her, I was exposed to things no child should ever have to see or experience. My dad did the best he could, but he was young and overwhelmed. Eventually, my grandparents stepped in to give my brother and me some sense of stability. Even with their love, I grew up feeling unanchored—unsure of who I was or what I was worth. That sense of brokenness followed me into adulthood. As a teenager and young adult, I felt lost. I battled depression, hopelessness, and wounds I didn’t yet have words for. I lived in survival mode for years. In 2006, everything changed when I became a mother to my son. For the first time, I experienced unconditional love—but I was also alone, afraid, and facing rejection from the very family who had once been my stability. The weight of life felt unbearable. It was in December of that year, on the floor of my apartment shower, that I cried out to Jesus. I repented. I begged for His help. I asked Him to save me from myself.I knew I couldn’t carry the weight any longer. And in that moment, everything changed. God met me there—in the middle of my breaking. His presence was undeniable. It was as if He reached down into the pit I had been drowning in and lifted my son and me out with His own hands. From there, God began restoring what was broken. I reconnected with my high school sweetheart. We began going to church together. I was baptized, and in 2007 we were married. My husband adopted my son, and in 2010 we welcomed our second son. For the first time in my life, I had the family and stability I had always longed for. I could see God’s hand in all of it. But when life finally slowed down, the wounds I had buried began to surface. I was later diagnosed with PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. I sought help through doctors, medication, and therapy—and while those things helped in important ways, they could only reach so deep. They were covering wounds that went far deeper than anyone could see. My spirit was still hurting. My mind was still under attack.
And I felt trapped in darkness. But God met me there… again. One day I read James 4:7: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." And I realized something—I had given my life to Jesus, but I hadn’t fully surrendered every part of my heart to Him. So I did. I turned completely toward God. I filled my days with Scripture, worship, prayer, and truth. And in that place of surrender, something powerful happened. Jesus began healing what nothing else could reach. He didn’t just treat the symptoms— He healed the source. He lifted the weight that had crushed me for years. He silenced the lies that told me I was broken beyond repair.
He brought peace where there had been fear, clarity where there had been confusion, and hope where there had been despair. He met me in the deepest places of my pain… and lifted me out of the darkness that once felt inescapable. I often think about the man in the tombs—the one bound by chains, surrounded by darkness, and consumed by torment. I know what that felt like. And just as Jesus crossed the sea to reach him, He came for me. He restored my mind. He restored my heart. He restored my life. And in His mercy, He didn’t just set me free— He gave me purpose. Today, I stand not because of my strength, but because of God’s grace. He has taken my pain and turned it into a passion to reach women who are hurting and remind them that they are not beyond His reach. My story is not about who I was. It is about who God is. A Savior who steps into the darkest places…who lifts us out of the pit…who breathes life into what feels dead…and restores what we thought was beyond repair. If you find yourself in a place that feels like the mire…Please hear me: You are not alone. You are not beyond healing. And you are not too far gone. God still lifts. God still restores. And He can set your feet on solid ground too.