THE BROKEN GIRLS

ymmharrison
Oct 25, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2022

"So many strong women, begin as broken girls." r.h.Sia

Strong, not because they wanted to be.

But because they had to be.

Left in ruins by torment.

Shattered pieces that no longer fit together.

Heart wrenching stories of tragedy.

Love lost.

Family divided.

All hope extinguished.

But then they collided.

A sisterhood fabricated on fear and rejection.

Neither who they used to be.

Now something entirely divergent.

Somehow each more complete.

Different than ever imagined.

Softer from their storms.

Reckless and audacious from surviving catastrophe.

Fighting for justice.

Students on a journey.

Seeking belonging.

Providing refuge for the oppressed.

A haven of hope.

Scribbled on a napkin.

A community was born.

A rebirth takes place.

Salvation reborn.

A platform constructed from faith and hope.

A place for refuge, and a beacon in the storm.

They rose from the ashes hand in hand.

On a mission for justice.

Broken no more.

EMH2022

And just like that, my tragedy became my testimony to help other people find hope, joy and peace while healing. I never want anyone to experience abuse, but I'm glad I can now see how God redeemed my experience. My abuse brought me to my knees. Then the script flipped and began to reshape my faith. After experiencing a very dark season, I began to believe and feel that God was setting me up to do something much bigger in my life. I had a nagging voice deep inside encouraging me to stand up and share my experiences rather than remain silent and carry the burden on my own. When I met Nancy, in the fall 2021, it all started to make sense. We shared a desire to build a web-based resource to help others. We were not created to be silenced so TWO GIRLS AND A NAPKIN was born.

Reasons Your Testimony Is Important

It's YOUR story.You don't need to be a pastor or have years of seminary education to tell your story. The bible tells the story of Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath. Keep in mind, people were not allowed to work (or perform miracles) on the Sabbath. The man was brought in and questioned by the Pharisees over why such shenanigans were happening on all days, a Sunday! I can picture this man looking at the authorities dazed and confused then essentially responding, "Hey man, I don't know.....but I was blind and now I can see!" Who could argue with that testimony? When your story is enough for other's to see and believe the goodness of God, then why not use it to worship.
Testimony brings glory to God. I'm not here to glorify the struggle in my story. I'm here to glorify my God and what he did in it. By sharing my story, I hope that something will resonate and show how he made me much more than just an overcomer.
Testimony demonstrates God's power. The word testimony comes from a Hebrew word that means "do it again." Sharing my testimony story is way to show that God is in the business of doing it again, and again. Not just for me, but for everyone else. I believe there is power through our stories that will bring healing and peace to others.
Sharing our struggles showcases the love and grace of God. I grew up believing that God was a powerful judge and cruel punisher whom I could never please. Through the darkest season of my life, I began to see that he is truly for me. I experienced his grace chasing me down in my ugliest places. Weapons were formed against me that I had no control over; yet they never prospereyd. There were literally times I screamed out loud I can't go further, then someone would call out of the blue or I would receive some unexpected good news. I began to feel his relentless love and peace pouring over me.
Our stories promote togetherness. It doesn't help to talk about the struggle when the breakthrough comes. Let's talk about it right now, when we're smack in the middle of it and not sure what to do next.
We should share our stories so we don't forget. It's so easy when we're in the middle of great times to get forgot the struggles we went through to get there. Life is about stops and starts. Why should we only share the good parts? I've never met an interesting person that hasn't overcome challenges and have difficult stories in their past. God warned in Deuteronomy, "don't forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live."
Lastly, it's a story of celebration! Acts 13:15 says,"If you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak." When we share our story of struggles, it allows others to join our journey to breakthrough. And then we can celebrate together. This endeavor is not only to encourage you, it's also to encourage me and be a reminder of how far I've come and all the good things God has done.