What we’ve endured may leave scars, but as Daughters of the Heavenly King, we can overcome.
Every person has a story. Each story is unique. Some might end happily, or better than they began; some... not so much. One story might last long, like an eternity; another story might change a life in just a few seconds or minutes. But one thing that is the same with everyone's story, no matter the differences, is that each and every story matters.
We all face challenges as we travel along this road of Life. We all find ourselves in situations that might not be ideal, or might not have been expected, or are more complex than we feel we're prepared for. We all live in a world where both inward and outward sin constantly wage war on our minds, bodies, and souls. Some of us have been tempered in the fire, hardened, and made new. Some of us are still finding ourselves surrounded by the growing flames that choke us out and leave us gasping for breath. Wherever you are in your story, whatever chapter you're in or conflict you're experiencing... I want you to know that you are not alone.
Welcome to Rise Anew
"Rise Anew" is the title of my memoir--one I pray I will be able to some day write and publish. Getting to the point of telling my story has always been a goal of mine. It doesn't matter how many projects I've started, how many things I have wanted to write or work on... "Rise Anew" always lingers in the back of my mind. However, it is something I have put off for a long time, and not because I wanted to. I have found myself hit with roadblock after roadblock when it comes to telling my story.
It took me a long time to move past the insecurity I had about my abuse. My biggest fear was that if people knew, the word, "VICTIM" would be a label on my forehead. I was scared of people treating me differently, judging me, or imagining my experience any time they looked at me. I was afraid people would think I was weak or tender and couldn't handle situations that maybe "normal" people could.
It was at that point I was finally ready to use the voice so many people helped me find after years of silence. But... the inability to speak continued -- this time, not by my own doing. When I started playing around with the idea of writing a book and starting a ministry, I realized very quickly the limitations enforced by my current situation. As I mentioned above, some stories don't end happily, and mine was one of those stories. Justice was never served. Punishment was never received. There has been no accountability from the other party. Therefore, I have lived my life forced to carry this burden, to hide it away as if it were my fault or something to be ashamed of.
But now I'm breaking the silence...
It took two years of intense counseling and several more years of prayer, healing, and soul-searching to finally realize: I have been given this story, and I can't get rid of it. I can't walk into the Library of life and put it back on the shelf. This story is mine; this life is mine. So, if this story is going to be a book I carry around... I might as well use it to help others who are going through or who have gone through the same thing.
Though I may not be able to tell all of my testimony, I can still take what I've experienced and learned, and help others. Because guess what? We can stand strong regardless. We are not defined by abuse. We are not defined by what others think or say about us, or the way they mistreat us. We are not defined by another's disregard for our safety, boundaries, needs, dreams, well-being, and future.
We are defined by the One Who gives us refuge... and He calls us, "Beloved."
I pray that this blog can be a resource for healing in your life. I pray it can be a place where our voices can be heard -- because every voice matters. Every heart is precious. Every soul is treasured. Every person is "beloved." The enemy has done his best to break us down and grind us beneath his feet, but he has no power over us.
"For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light".
~Micah 7:8
About Me...
My name is Elizabeth Mae Wolfram. I am an author, blogger, and entrepreneur. My very first book is one I began when I was thirteen years old, around the same time I found my voice after years of hiding from my family the abuse I endured. That time was a difficult one, so I turned to writing as my outlet. I wrote everything from poems, songs, and random stories, and eventually attempted to create a novel.
After two years of trying to write that book, my family and I moved to a brand-new state, and on the way, my parents and I came up with the current storyline of my soon-to-be debut novel, "Collector." Book Two, "Captive," is currently in the works and involves a character whose story and healing will be inspired by my own.
As an Overcomer myself, I have walked through periods of fear, trauma, and uncertainty. There were times when I questioned everything I knew: my faith, my life, and whether or not I wanted to keep going through life. It was in those darkest times that the only thing I could fully turn to, devoid of fear or hesitation, was a pen and paper.
The paper wouldn’t judge me, and the pen wouldn’t twist my words, so writing became my solace. It was a way for me to escape into a world that was worse than mine, so it made me feel better about the one I was living in. It was a way to take a broken world and make it better, something I had trouble believing was possible as I walked through the fire.
My heart is for those who have walked through that same fire and are still walking through it. Whether you’re ready to share your testimony or just want to write creatively, I’m here for you, because making your world better is possible. I’m living proof that our past isn’t what defines us. What we’ve endured yes, may leave scars, may leave us with a broken heart, but as Daughters of the Heavenly King, we can overcome anything through Him who gives us strength.
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