Once upon a time there was a lost girl with an ache inside of her to be seen, loved, and celebrated. She tried so hard to be good enough, to work hard enough, and to jump high enough to be seen.

Somehow, every effort she took just exhausted her deeper and made her believe that she was either always too much or not enough, that she was really alone, and no one truly cared about the fact that she was alive. She often concluded there must be so much wrong with her because, after all, she was the common denominator to all her own problems. Most of the time she would believe the world would be a better place if she just wouldn’t be in everyone’s way.

Around fifteen years old, after much loss and grief had already transpired in her little life, she met Jesus. She knew nothing of Him, except for the sound of His voice calling her name. She instantly received a portion of Love that began the process of healing the layers of wounds inside of her heart. One taste of His love and she came running to give whatever necessary to live within any place He was. She was given supernatural ears and eyes instantly, allowing her to see and hear Him, deeply encountering His presence. The next thing He revealed to her was to be baptized with water and then to receive the baptism of the Fire of the Holy Spirit.

This young girl began to grow in wisdom and favor as she poured over His word and allowed Him to become the absolute Authority in her life. She began to seek Him for every decision and allow Him to renew her mind with His thoughts. As the days grew into years, a companion of darkness, named depression, came to torment this girl. She would fast, pray, memorize scripture, and protect her eyes and mind, and yet this demonic force would still take her down and out for weeks at a time.

The Lord was so faithful to send people into her life who were equipped with tools of inner healing and deliverance. She was, little by little, delivered from many deep-rooted generational curses that did not want to let her live into the fullness of her identity in Christ. Beyond the depression, another trauma occurred in her life, which invited depression’s sinister twin, anxiety, to begin its torment. Once more, in God’s faithfulness, He aligned her life with a Spirit- filled counselor who brought healing to her physical brain and her spirit through EMDR counseling.

This broken-hearted little girl was healed, delivered, and set free, enabling her to mature into a Woman of God. She was set free from the torment of depression and anxiety and set free for the purpose of lifting high the name of Jesus wherever He leads her. She was set free to set others free, so that all would not only be saved but also equipped to work out their salvation. She agrees with God’s desire that all His children would experience being set free indeed to live into the abundant life Jesus Christ gave His life that they might have.

This little girl, is me. This woman of God, is also me. I am just a woman who is ever aware of her desperate need for her Savior, Jesus Christ. A woman so in love with Him, that everything else is dim in comparison. A woman who chooses His paths of peace above her own will. I am a woman who has decided to follow Jesus, come what may. He is worthy of it all.