From Obstacles to Opportunities

My family means everything to me, so for me to step out and tell my story that includes childhood sexual abuse, rape in the Army and a horrific injury to my son, is a risk. Not only do I not want to be seen as a victim, I do not want my family to be portrayed as dysfunctional. What happened to me as a child was not common in the 70’s and it was not my family’s fault that my abuse lasted so long. I chose not to tell anyone what was happening to me. Regardless, I believe that God brought me to this moment in time for a specific reason. With so much violence and hurt in the world, now is the time to address issues for our mental health’s sake. I believe that God allowed obstacles in my life so that I could profess the opportunities that could come out of such events in one’s life. Don’t get me wrong. I have been through hell and back, but our God is mighty to save and my hell was only temporary. God gave me challenges in life to grow me in my faith. God is also a God of redemption, one that loves unconditionally. Regardless of my sins and the number of times I lacked faith, God forgave my transgressions with open arms. Finally, our God is a God that makes everything beautiful in His time if we only allow Him to. This is my story and the three major obstacles in my life that God has allowed me to endure for the purpose of finding opportunities to glorify Him. Each obstacle has presented a specific opportunity of growth and glorifying God. All three put together have given me a great opportunity to learn about forgiveness.