Life.... The Tests and Testimonies.
We have all been tested in life and many of us have the scars to show it. Most of us do not like being tested, but there is “No Testimony without a Test.” I use to complain during my testing period and afterward conceal my testimony. I concealed it out of guilt, shame and because "Telling Your Business" is frowned upon.
God has challenged me to praise Him instead of complaining during the storms of life. I have learned that sharing one's testimony is personally therapeutic as well as uplifting for others. The testimonies shared here are to strengthen us in our moments of weakness, inspire us in our seasons of doubt, and remind us of who and whose we are in a world that sometimes obscures our self-image.
Her
STORY
Born To
Inspire
When you’ve been abused — emotionally, mentally, physically and sexually as a child, and then left to deal with the scars on your own, the healing process seems impossible. From the beginning, my life was a lie. I was the product of an affair (my father was married to another woman). I was the only girl of seven children and was raised by my mother. My mother traveled a lot because of the restaurant businesses she owned in St. Lucia. Her being away from home so often made my ordeal even more unbearable as a child.
I don’t recall exactly when it started but from eight to twelve years old I was sexually abused by family members. My abusers said “no one would believe me if I told.” I lived with that lie and the ongoing abuse for many years. My mother even accused me of having "boyfriends,” but I had none. I scared to tell her the truth about the incest. The sexually abuse finally ended when I moved away to live with my father.
I felt out of place even in a new home. People looked at me as an angry, withdrawn or unruly child. I told no one my secret. No one could see the scars I was trying to hide each day. I was not loved at home and couldn’t imagine how strangers could love me when my family didn’t. I went searching for love in all the wrong places and kept hiding my pain and shame. It was not until my early twenties when I had a breakdown and almost lost my mind that I cried out to God for help.
His
STORY
Challenged
but not
Defeated
Prayer has led me to God. I draw closer to Him through scriptures and learning from stories of people in the Bible. Even though, I may not fully understand why He gave me this arm. I believe He did it because I have a job that only I can do in my lifetime.
When I was born, the doctor used a vacuum to pull me out of my mother's womb. He was so aggressive that he pulled several of my nerves out of my spine. This left me paralyzed in the right arm. The term for my disability is Brachial Plexus Palsy. Now, I can only feel about 45% of my right arm. I can barely lift my arm and doing daily activities (i.e. tying my shoelaces, buttoning my pants or shirts, taking a bath and trying to clean my left arm or the left side of my back, etc.) is challenging for me.
I cannot complain because overall my life has been a nice one. I don't want to use the word easy or hard because for everyone life can be easy and hard at different times. My life has been nice because all praise is to God, my family has supported me. The people I often interact with too has also been very caring. I can only remember once or twice in which I was bullied because of my arm. My reaction was to just shrug it off and ignore those people.
From a young age, I realized that my mother and family have always struggled to help me be all that I can be. They often look so exhausted from spending so much time helping me. They were so tired that sometimes they could not help themselves. This made me not want to feel like a burden to anyone.
Oneil, Enabled for Greatness
Their
STORY
Love
Conquers
All
The Bastiens, Destined For Love
When thinking about prayer, and how it saved our life on a personal level, the testimony is endless. We knew how much prayer could change our lives and the lives of others, but seeing it come to fruition in our relationship and beyond has been amazing.
Prayer came into play in a major way before we even met each other. Both of us were frustrated with dating, and losing hope that our right partners were out there in the world. We both prayed for God to bring each of us the right partner and spouse. It was tough at times to hold on to faith, but prayer helped keep peace and patience while we waited and trusted in the Lord. The power of prayer came through so strongly, because he brought us together, and kept us together. 4.5 years, and a marriage later we have experienced ups and downs with everything in between as a couple.
We have found through our love and partnership that life throws a lot of things at you. There are times when we are overwhelmed with busy schedules, travel, work stress, and a million other things. We have found that prayer is the pulse of our relationship and marriage. It brings calm and peace to both of us, and reminds up to keep the Lord at the center of our union. We are grateful for prayer, how it has seen us through the everyday happenings of life and kept us strong as husband and wife. Prayer is essential to life and essential to our family.