Christine
Pasadena, CA
2005
She Wanted Out of Her Own Skin
For as long as Christine could remember, she felt like she didn’t belong.
As a child, she endured abuse that left deep wounds. When she finally found the courage to tell her mother what had happened, she wasn’t believed. The rejection cut even deeper than the abuse itself.
By the age of eleven, Christine turned to drugs, hoping to escape the pain she carried inside.
“I felt like I wanted out of my own skin,” Christine remembers.
For more than twenty years, addiction became her way of surviving, but it never brought the peace she longed for.
When Jesus Spoke
Everything changed in one of the darkest moments of Christine’s life.
After violating probation, she was sentenced to jail. While she was there, she learned that her son had also been arrested.
Heartbroken, she cried out to God in anger.
Then, in the quiet of her jail cell, she heard His voice:
“He’s following in your footsteps. Why not lead him toward Me?”
In that moment, Christine surrendered her life to Christ.
Not long after her release, she arrived at Hoving Home, where women surrounded her with love, prayer, and encouragement as she began rebuilding her life and growing in her relationship with Jesus.
Called by Name
As Christine spent time in God’s Word, He began replacing years of lies with His truth.
She had spent much of her life questioning her worth and trying to become someone she wasn’t.
Then God reminded her:
“You really are not the boy your daddy wanted. You are the girl that your Daddy created.”
Those words transformed how Christine saw herself.
Instead of being defined by her past, she began embracing the woman God had always created her to be.
She says from that point forward, the Lord continued molding her into the woman He intended her to become.
Where Grace Has Led
Today, Christine’s life is a testimony to God’s faithfulness.
She has been married for nearly twenty years, restored relationships with all four of her children, earned multiple college degrees, published six books, and is completing her PhD in psychology.
Most importantly, she now uses her story to encourage others that no one is beyond the reach of God’s love.
Looking back, Christine smiles as she says:
“The Lord can never surprise me… but He always amazes me.”
Your story isn’t over.
Christine’s journey is a reminder that our past does not define us. Through Jesus Christ, there is hope, healing, and the promise of new life.
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