"Faith Rewrote My Story"

We grow up in homes full of silence, control, chaos, abandonment. We learn to normalize dysfunction because it’s all we knew. But even as adults, those memories sneak into our relationships, our confidence, our parenting, our faith. We replay arguments in our heads. We flinch at familiar tones.
We hold onto anger like armor because letting it go feels like letting them off the hook. But here’s the truth: Their choices shaped u, but they don’t have to define us. Healing doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t hurt. It means learning how to feel the pain without becoming it. It means setting boundaries so we can breathe. It means forgiving—not because they asked for it, but because your soul deserves peace. You're allowed to feel angry. You're allowed to grieve the childhood you should’ve had. But you're also allowed to walk free.

Pain may have raised us. But it doesn’t get to raise our children. I used to live angry. Not because I wanted to—but because it was all I knew. My parents taught me survival, not joy. They modeled silence, not softness. So, when I became a parent, I had two choices: Repeat the cycle. Or rebuild the legacy.

I'm not perfect. Some days, anger knocks loud on the door of my chest. But I’ve learned how to let grace answer instead. I’m not just living for myself anymore. I’m living for the child who sees me as safe, the partner who sees me as present, and the person I’m still becoming—soft and strong and healing out loud. The past doesn’t vanish. But every time we choose kindness over reaction, truth over secrecy, growth over comfort—we choose a future worth living.

You might think it’s too late. That you’ve messed up too much, hurt too many people, or drifted too far. But here’s the truth they don’t always tell you: The past doesn’t decide your worth. Your choices now do. Yes, you’ve made mistakes. So, have I. So have the people who seem like they have it all together. But you’re not your worst day. You’re the one who gets to rise from it. If you’re young and lost, feeling weighed down by what you’ve done— take this moment to stop and breathe. You’re still here. You still get to choose something different. You still get to choose you. Work hard. Tell the truth. Heal what was broken. Ask for help, even if you’re scared. And when you have kids—love them the way you needed to be loved. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be brave enough to change. God hasn’t disqualified you. Grace is the story He keeps offering—no matter how many times you’ve missed the mark. You don’t owe your past your future. You owe your future a version of you that fights for light—even if you came from darkness. The road ahead is yours to build. Hammer it with faith. Pave it with humility. Let every step say: "I’m becoming who I was always meant to be.”