Grow in Grace

Tag: healing

  • The Story Behind The Peace I Fought For

    The Story Behind The Peace I Fought For

    By: Wendy Morris

    When God Turns Pain Into Purpose

    I never imagined that I would one day put some of the most painful parts of my life into a book.

    For years, those experiences remained tucked away in my heart, written between the pages of journals, and spoken only in quiet conversations with God. There were parts of my story that very few people knew. I had survived them, but sharing them was something entirely different.

    Writing The Peace I Fought For: My Testimony of Faith, Discernment, and Letting Go required me to revisit seasons I thought I had already put behind me. It meant remembering the heartbreak, confusion, betrayal, fear, and grief. But it also gave me the opportunity to look back and recognize something even greater: God had been with me through every single moment.

    What once felt like something I needed to hide eventually became a testimony I felt called to share.

    I had actually started writing a book several times before, but each attempt seemed to lead me back toward resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. The words may have told what happened, but my heart was not yet ready to tell the story in the way God intended. There were still places inside me that needed His healing.

    Then something changed.

    When I finally sat down to write this book, I realized those feelings no longer had the hold on me that they once did. I was not writing from bitterness or from a desire to make anyone understand what I had endured. I was able to look back with different eyes and recognize how completely God had changed me—my heart, my soul, my whole outlook on life, and even my understanding of what truly matters.

    That was when I knew I was ready. The facts of my story had not changed, but the heart telling it had.

    Obedience Often Begins With Fear

    I wish I could say that I wrote this book without hesitation, but that would not be true. I was afraid.

    I wondered what people would think. I questioned whether I was sharing too much. I worried about being misunderstood, and I felt vulnerable knowing that people would be reading about experiences that had once brought me so much pain.

    But God kept placing the story on my heart.

    I have learned that obedience does not always feel comfortable. Sometimes God asks us to step forward while our hands are still trembling. Courage is not the absence of fear; sometimes courage is simply choosing to obey God even while fear is present.

    > “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

    Every time I have faced fear and remained obedient to God, something has changed inside me. There is freedom on the other side of obedience. There is confidence—not confidence in my own ability, but confidence that God will meet me wherever He leads me.

    Submitting this book for publication was one of those moments.

    This Is Not a Story About Having It All Figured Out

    I did not write this book because I have everything figured out. I did not write it because healing made my life perfect or erased every difficult memory.

    I wrote it because I am not the woman I once was.

    God has changed me spiritually, mentally, and physically. He has taught me about discernment, boundaries, forgiveness, obedience, and the difficult but necessary work of letting go. He showed me that forgiveness does not require returning to what harmed me. He taught me that protecting my peace is not selfish and that being equally yoked is not merely a suggestion—it matters.

    Most importantly, He taught me that peace does not come from controlling the outcome. True peace comes from trusting Him with it.

    > “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV)

    There were times when I could not understand what God was doing. Looking back, I can see that He was rebuilding me even when I thought I was simply trying to survive.

    God Did Not Waste My Pain

    Pain can make us feel as though part of our life has been stolen. We may look back at the years and wonder what could have been different. But I now believe that when we place our broken pieces in God’s hands, He does not waste any of them.

    He can use our pain to deepen our compassion. He can use our disappointments to sharpen our discernment. He can use what nearly broke us to help someone else believe that they can make it too.

    That does not mean the pain was good. It means God is good enough to redeem it.

    > “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3 (KJV)

    My story is not only about what happened to me. It is about what God did within me. It is a story of learning to release what I could not change, surrender what I could not carry, and trust God with the life still ahead of me.

    Why I Chose to Share It

    I shared my testimony because I know there is another woman somewhere wondering whether she will ever feel whole again.

    She may be living with heartbreak, betrayal, or the effects of addiction within her family. She may be questioning her worth, struggling to establish boundaries, or holding onto something God has been asking her to release. She may appear strong to everyone around her while privately asking God how much longer she can keep going.

    I want her to know that this season is not the end of her story.

    Healing may not happen overnight. It can be slow, painful, and deeply personal. But God is present in the process. He is able to bring beauty from ashes, purpose from pain, and peace from places that once held only confusion.

    If even one person reads my story and realizes that she is not alone, then every vulnerable moment involved in writing it was worth it.

    A New Beginning

    Seeing my book published felt like more than completing a project. It felt like a new beginning.

    For so long, I wondered whether this day would ever come. I wanted it, but I was scared. Yet God has a way of bringing us out of our comfort zones and reminding us that His plans are bigger than our fear.

    I could never have done this without Him.

    The Peace I Fought For is now available in Kindle and paperback formats on Amazon. If you are walking through a difficult season—or if you love someone who is—I pray this book reminds you that God is still working, even when you cannot yet see how the story will end.

    This is my testimony of faith, discernment, healing, and letting go.

    But above everything else, it is a testimony of a faithful God.

    Purchase The Peace I Fought For on Amazon

    Reflection Questions

    1. Is there a painful part of your story that God may be redeeming?

    2. Has fear been keeping you from something God has placed on your heart?

    3. What are you trying to control that you need to surrender to Him?

    4. How has God used a difficult season to change or strengthen you?

    Closing Prayer

    Heavenly Father,

    Thank You for never wasting our pain. Thank You for staying close to us during the seasons when we feel broken, afraid, or uncertain. Give us the courage to obey You even when the next step feels uncomfortable. Help us release what we cannot control and trust You with every unfinished part of our story.

    Use our experiences for Your glory. Bring healing where there is hurt, wisdom where there is confusion, and peace where there has been fear. Remind the person reading this that she is not alone, her life still has purpose, and You are not finished with her yet.

    In Jesus’ name, amen.

    —Wendy

  • But God: When the Wilderness Teaches You to Let Go

    But God: When the Wilderness Teaches You to Let Go

    By: Wendy Morris

    “But God…”

    Those two words mean more to me now than they ever used to.

    I grew up hearing them in church. Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night—we knew we were going. There was never a question about it. Church was simply part of our routine.

    The same people showed up. We sang many of the same songs. There was the offering, the sermon, and the invitation. Afterward, we usually ate lunch at my grandparents’ house—or at Helen’s Drive-In if we “went out” to eat.

    Those are such precious memories to me now.

    Looking back, I can see that the adults in my life were planting seeds in my heart. I didn’t take those days for granted; I simply didn’t understand their significance yet. I had no idea how much Jesus would come to mean to me as I grew into an adult. I didn’t know how desperately I would one day need the truth I was being taught.

    There was a period during junior high and high school when I stopped attending church. We had moved away from the church we had always attended, and I never felt comfortable in another one. Eventually, we became “comfortable” not going.

    And honestly, I became comfortable living without putting God first.

    Like many teenagers, I was living for the world. Even though I knew better, I often placed my wants ahead of what God wanted for me. I would feel convicted, pray, ask for forgiveness—and then find myself doing the same things all over again.

    I understand now what a dangerous line I was walking.

    Still, God protected me during those years. He saw things I couldn’t see, knew things I couldn’t know, and already understood the plans He had for my life.

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 
    —Jeremiah 29:11

    God never promised that my journey would be easy, but He has shown me that following Him is always worth it.

    My, my, my—He also knew how stubborn I could be. He knew exactly what it would take to teach me, humble me, and mold me into the woman I am today.

    I am not perfect. I still fail. I still have moments when I want to take control and choose my own direction. But I am saved by His grace. I am learning to surrender daily, walk in obedience, and trust Him even when I cannot see where He is leading me.

    The deepest desire of my heart now is to glorify Him—not myself and not anyone else.

    My way has never proven to work out very well anyway. You would think that realization would make surrender easy, but sometimes it is still incredibly difficult. I often have to choose to trust where God is leading me instead of following where I might want to go.

    If you know me, then you know how hard that can be for me.

    That is why I stand on His promises—sometimes day by day and sometimes moment by moment.

    I often feel as though it took me forty years in the wilderness to loosen my grip on my own way. I used to read the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness and wonder how anyone could continue going in circles for forty years.

    How could they keep forgetting what God had done?

    How could they doubt Him after everything He had already shown them?

    How could they continue trying to do things their own way?

    Well, here I am today to say: I understand now.

    Sometimes we wander because we are afraid to trust. Sometimes we keep circling the same mountain because surrender feels more frightening than what is familiar. Sometimes God has to let us reach the end of our own strength before we finally loosen our grip and place everything in His hands.

    The wilderness is not always punishment. Sometimes it is preparation.

    It is where God teaches us dependence. It is where our faith becomes more than something we heard about in church. It is where the seeds planted during childhood begin to take root. It is where we learn that God is faithful—not because someone else told us He is, but because we have experienced His faithfulness for ourselves.

    I now understand that those childhood church services were preparing me for battles I didn’t know I would face. Those familiar songs gave me truths I would later cling to. Those sermons planted words in my heart that the Holy Spirit would bring back to me when I needed them most.

    None of it was wasted.

    Neither were the years when I wandered. God used even those seasons to show me how much I needed Him.

    I am still being shaped. I am still learning obedience. I am still surrendering my plans and trusting His. But when I look back over my life, I can clearly see the places where my story could have ended differently.

    But God protected me.

    But God pursued me.

    But God forgave me.

    But God restored me.

    But God never let me go.

    Those two words are no longer simply something I heard in church. They are part of my testimony.

    My life may not have unfolded the way I once imagined, but God has been faithful through every chapter. I may have spent years trying to lead myself, but He never stopped calling me back to Him.

    Today, I am learning to release my grip and trust the hands that have held me all along.

    I have wandered. I have struggled. I have been stubborn. I have failed.

    But God.

    And because of Him, my story is still being written.

    Reflection

    Are you walking through a wilderness season right now? Could God be using it to teach you trust, obedience, or surrender? What might change if you loosened your grip and allowed Him to lead?

    Prayer

    Father, thank You for never giving up on me, even during the seasons when I wandered and chose my own way. Thank You for every seed of faith that was planted in my heart and for protecting me when I didn’t understand how much I needed You. Help me loosen my grip on my plans and trust where You are leading me. When I feel uncertain, remind me of Your faithfulness. Continue molding me into the person You created me to be, and let my life bring glory to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • Trusting God Again in Relationships

    Trust is the foundation of every strong relationship—especially when we choose to love with God at the center. But trust can be difficult, especially after we’ve been hurt. Surrendering control means acknowledging that God’s plan is greater than our own. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Healing takes time. Psalm 147:3 reminds us, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

    Even though I’ve been deeply hurt, I once thought I was alone in this pain. But as I opened up, I realized others have walked this road, too. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17). In this journey, that having a big heart is not a weakness. I used to think my heart was too big—vulnerable, too easy to hurt. But now I see it as a gift—one God can use to bring healing, hope, and connection.

    Be aware of others feelings even as you guard your own heart. The world today is not the same—it’s easy to feel isolated or lost. But when we trust God, we build true hope. As Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

    —Wendy