Vionette LeGrand
I remember sitting down at a coffee shop with a friend I met eight years ago. In the coffee shop, as we began to talk she said, ” Tell me your story.” I was shocked and wasn’t expecting her to ask me to share my personal story with her. As I looked at her, fear overcame me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to trust someone with my story.
My life growing up had many ups and downs. At the age of 5, I went to foster care. I went into foster care because my daycare teacher said that my dad was sexually abusing me. The accusation caused a lot of pain in my family. When they took me, my heart was torn into pieces. The loneliness that overcame me from not seeing my family was painful. That year, I would experience loneliness, anxiety, loss, guilt, anger, and the feeling of being unlovable. That same year the truth came out I was not being sexually abused by my father, but we were a broken family.
Even though my dad didn’t sexually abuse me, I did experience sexual abuse as a young child. This abuse affected who I was growing up, and it would surface insecurities about myself.
At 13, I remember sitting down at a Sunday service and hearing the pastor preach. That day I felt like I was carrying a heavy weight. I was tired of the insecurities from my past. I remember hearing the pastor say, “Do you want to be a part of a well that will never run dry? Do you want to know about a Savior that loves you even if you have made mistakes? Do you want to know of a Savior who loves you for who you are? ” Those questions made my eyes water.
I found myself stuck in a cycle of not feeling enough, unwanted, and unloved because of my past. When I realized that someone died for me and my past sins, and that person also loved me for who I was it transformed me. That day I said yes to Jesus being my Lord and Savior.
There is more to my story, but I will leave that for another Blog. At this moment, I want to encourage you. You are not too sinful for God’s love and grace to surround you. He died for you on the cross for your sins, mistakes, pain, and shortcoming. All you have to do is believe that He is your Lord and Savior and that He died and resurrected for you. You are love by God! You do not have to be someone else because He loves you for who you are.
Since I received Jesus into my life, there have been trials, but I am encouraged knowing that I am not alone. In our trials, God promises us that He works all things together for good. Romans 8:28 says, “28And we knowthat God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, whoare called according to His purpose.“1
You might be asking yourself, “Why am I sharing my story with you?” I want you to know that there is a God who loves you. He has not forsaken you, and He has not left you. Through the years, I have had pain inflicted upon me by VERY close people in my life, including people I considered my best friends, but I am reminded by God and His word that there is a true friend that will never leave you or forsake you, and His name God.
At this moment, if you are reading this with a broken heart. You are worthy. Your past doesn’t define your future. To the person that is healing, it’s okay to be hurt. You are human, to the person that has climbed the mountain and overcame. You are more than a conqueror through Jesus. It’s just the beginning.
As I recall that day in the coffee shop, I remember the girl I was. Now because of God, she is braver and speaks out against injustice. Because of God, she is not ashamed of who she is. Because of God, she knows that she is more than a conqueror.
My story is because of God.
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1Rom 8:28