Your Testimony Was Never Just for You

Can I be honest?

I wasn’t always a willing participant in the life God allowed me to live. If I could have written my own story, it would have looked very different. There are chapters of my life that I never would have chosen, prayers I wish had been answered differently, and expereinces I would undo in a heartbeat if I could. Sometimes people look at my life today and assume that I’ve somehow become comfortable with the pain that shaped me. They see my smile and the joy that I carry into every room, and they assume I’ve healed. That I’ve somehow taken the residue of my story and turned it into glitter that I sprinkle over people who are walking through difficult seasons. The truth is, healing is a continuum.

Healing is a choice. And what you do with the things that broke you is up to you. I’ve decided to let my light shine by sharing the parts of my story that God has redeemed to uplift, encourage, and inspire others. I share my experiences because I know everyone can identify with going through something they never wanted to go through.

Maybe your story doesn’t look exactly like mine. Maybe your battle has been years of untangling childhood trauma. Maybe it’s divorce. Maybe it’s infertility. Maybe it’s addiction, betrayal, anxiety, or disappointment. Whatever it is, I want you to know that I didn’t get here because one day I magically woke up healed. I got here because I chose healing. I went to counseling. I cried. I prayed. I wrestled with God. I learned to forgive. I learned to trust again. And I’m still doing the work. Some wounds heal in an instant. Others heal layer by layer. I chose to let my story empower me instead of imprison me. Through the pain and through the tears, I knew there had to be something inside of me that someone else needed. What I didn’t realize was that sharing my story would become part of my own healing. I don’t celebrate what happened to me. I celebrate what God has done with what happened to me.

There’s a difference.

Choosing to trust God doesn’t mean the journey is easy. It doesn’t mean I don’t still have moments where I grieve what could have been. It doesn’t mean I’ve never questioned, cried, or wrestled with His plan. It simply means I made a decision. If this was going to be my story, then I wanted God to receive every ounce of glory from it. I couldn’t change what happened to me, but I could choose how I responded to it. That decision has shaped every chapter since. People often call me strong, but I don’t think strength is the right word. Resilience is. This journey required obedience. Every ministry, every book, and every testimony I’ve shared has simply been another “yes” to God in a life I never would have chosen for myself. God has helped me navigate things that some people never recover from. I learned at a very young age that the only way I was going to survive life was by depending on the Lord for His peace, His joy, and His comfort.

There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to survive. Truthfully, before my husband died, I had already lived more life than many people my age. I had experienced loss, disappointment, fear, and seasons that forced me to mature long before I wanted to. But despite all of that, I still believed life was finally beginning to unfold the way I had always dreamed. I was finally in my third trimester of pregnancy after experiencing two miscarriages. I was married to the man I considered my best friend. We were preparing to buy our first home. We were getting ready to become parents. The life I had prayed for was finally becoming a reality. And although life was not perfect, I was finally getting to a place of accepting my story and the life I had been given.

Then suddenly…..Everything changed.

Life looked nothing like I had imagined. If you’ve ever walked through grief, you know survival can feel like a full-time job. But somewhere along the way, God began to show me something beautiful. Even through the pain. Every tear, every prayer. every lonely night. Every part of our story can become a bridge for someone else. That realization changed everything for me. It was that realization that gave birth to Beauty Over Ashes. Not because I had all the answers, but because I knew what it felt like to desperately need someone who understood. I didn’t want another woman to believe she had to navigate widowhood, pregnancy, grief, or parenting alone. If I could become the person I once needed, then maybe God really could redeem every painful chapter of my life. Throughout the journey, there were moments when I hated being seen as "the poster child" for young pregnant widows. I often felt frustrated with my reality because I longed for a simpler, easier life.Then the Lord gave me the concept for Birthing Purpose. Allowing me to realize that my story did not begin with being a pregnant widow, and that I had so much more to share. For years, people only knew pieces of my testimony. They knew I lost my husband while I was pregnant. They knew I continued serving. They knew I smiled. But very few people knew what happened behind closed doors. They didn’t see the wrestling. The fear. The anger. The counseling sessions. The prayers that felt unanswered. The moments when I wondered if I’d ever truly experience joy again. Birthing Purpose became more than a book. It became an invitation for people to see what God’s faithfulness looks like—not after the storm, but in the middle of it.

And now…

Love After Marriage. If I’m honest, this may have been one of the hardest parts of my testimony to share. People are often comfortable watching you grieve. They’re not always comfortable watching you heal. And honestly, for a while, I became comfortable with that version of myself too. I saw myself as a woman whose story held value for the people I was called to serve, but not necessarily as a woman who would experience the fullness of restoration herself. Healing, to me, no longer meant the possibility of loving again. It simply meant learning to live well despite my loss. No longer allowing my husband’s death to rob me of joy in other areas of my life. But God wasn’t finished healing me. I discovered that healing after loss doesn’t end when the tears become less frequent. Sometimes the deepest healing begins when you choose to trust again. When you allow yourself to hope again. When you stop apologizing for finding joy again. When you realize that moving forward isn’t leaving your past behind—it’s carrying everything God has taught you into the future He’s preparing for you. I realized that I had to allow God to restore the parts of my heart I had quietly accepted would remain closed forever. I had learned how to survive. God wanted to teach me how to live again. I thought that healing meant learning to live without what I had lost. God showed me that healing also meant learning to receive what he still wanted to give me.

This devotional isn’t about pretending the pain never existed. It’s about witnessing the faithfulness of a God who still writes beautiful chapters after devastating ones. Each daily exercise allows you to let the Lord in and navigate through various emotions, surrendering things you were never meant to carry while allowing Him to replace those areas with peace, joy, and understanding. Every season of my life has required me to surrender another piece of my story to Him. And every time I have, He has reminded me that my testimony was never meant to end with my pain. It was always meant to point people to His redemption.

Your Story Matters

Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that your story isn’t significant enough. Or maybe you’ve decided it’s too painful to revisit. Maybe you’re still carrying shame over mistakes you’ve made. Maybe you’re waiting until you’re “completely healed” before you tell anyone what God has done.  Can I lovingly challenge that? Someone is waiting for the version of you that is simply one step ahead of them. Not because you have all the answers. But because you have hope. Your testimony isn’t powerful because everything worked out perfectly. It’s powerful because God remained faithful when life wasn’t. Sometimes we think our testimony begins after the miracle. But often, the testimony is found in perseverance. It’s found in the woman who kept praying when heaven felt silent. It’s found in the man who chose forgiveness when bitterness seemed easier. It’s found in the parent who kept showing up while grieving. It’s found in the person who chose to trust God one more day. Never underestimate what God can do with your “yes.” The enemy wants you to hide your scars because he knows someone else needs to see that healing is possible. God doesn’t ask us to have a perfect story. He asks us to surrender it.

You may never start a nonprofit. You may never write a book. You may never stand on a stage. You may never preach a sermon. You may never lead a small group. But every single one of us has a story. And every single one of us has someone who needs to hear it. Never underestimate the power of one conversation. One prayer. One act of obedience. One moment of vulnerability. One testimony can change the trajectory of someone’s life. Your story doesn’t have to be public to be powerful. It just has to point people back to Jesus. I don’t know what chapter you’re living in today. Maybe you’re barely surviving. Maybe you’re waiting. Maybe you’re rebuilding. Maybe you’re finally experiencing the joy you thought would never come. Whatever season you’re in, don’t waste it. God isn’t just writing your story for you. He’s writing it for the people whose faith will one day grow because they watched Him carry you through yours. Because your testimony was never just for you.

Pray with me

Father, thank You for being the Author of every chapter of our lives. Thank You that You never waste our pain and that You are able to redeem even the stories we never would have chosen. Give us the courage to surrender our testimony to You. Heal the places in us that still ache, and use our experiences to bring hope to those who are walking through similar valleys. Let our lives always point back to Your goodness, Your faithfulness, and Your grace. May we never be afraid to share what You have done, knowing that our story may become someone else’s reason to keep believing.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.