Choosing to live by faith instead of fear as a domestic abuse survivor
I was a victim of domestic violence. I witnessed it as a young girl and I experienced it as a teenager and as an adult into my twenties. I was a single parent, managing motherhood and trying to survive domestic violence. I experienced physical abuse and mental abuse and as result experienced continual denial, depression, low self-esteem, and hopelessness. On all accounts, I was in a dark place.
“God continues to bless even when I don't expect it.”
I grew up Baptist and was very active in my church but I did not have a close relationship with God. Nonetheless, God was with me. One day in early 1990, I had a gut feeling that if I did not leave this relationship, I was never able to leave. It arrested me to the point that I made plans to leave right then. On February 9, 1990, I and my children boarded a Greyhound bus to Youngstown, Ohio, and never looked back.
“If you can have the courage to take a step, he will do the rest.”
From there, I willingly and with expectant faith let the Lord turn my life around. The Lord has continued to bless me with family, support, and above all peace. I started working in ministry alongside my sister and her husband, Pastor Lee Wilson. I’ve lived in many places, including Youngstown, Ohio; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Syracuse, New York.
No matter where I have lived, I have not missed a beat thanks to the grace of God. It has been at least 25 years of peace, prosperity, and favor. God has taken care of me and my children. When I relocated to Atlanta God blessed me to be able to purchase a brand new home - even on a meager salary. I finished college and got a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. I am now working towards a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
God continues to bless even when I don't expect it. On Father's Day 2020, I received my first EVER child support check for my grown children that I should have received almost 30 years ago. God does not forget and is always on time.
Through it all, I recognize that I am blessed to be a blessing. I’ve never felt forgotten by God and feel incredibly grateful, over and completely cared for every step of the way. God is faithful. Don’t live by fear but by faith! The scripture I stood on time and again was Psalms 37: 1-5. If you can have the courage to take a step, He will do the rest! Trust him, and he will help you.
A psalm of David.
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
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