There is a strength inside you that abuse could not take away.
It may not feel like it today. Right now you may feel exhausted, defeated, or overwhelmed by everything you’ve endured. You may even question whether you’re strong at all.
But surviving what you’ve survived is proof that your strength never left. It simply became buried beneath fear, pain, disappointment, and self-doubt.
Inner strength isn’t about never crying.
It isn’t about pretending everything is okay.
It isn’t about never asking for help.
Real strength is getting out of bed when your heart is heavy.
It’s making one more phone call.
It’s attending one more counseling session.
It’s choosing not to return to someone who hurt you.
It’s believing that tomorrow can be better than today.
Every small step you take is evidence that your inner strength is growing stronger than your fear.
Many survivors spend so much time listening to the voices that tried to tear them down that they forget to listen to their own. The words of an abuser can echo in your mind long after the relationship ends, but those words do not define who you are.
You are not weak.
You are not broken.
You are not beyond healing.
You are a survivor learning how to become whole again.
Strength doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers, “Just keep going.”
God often does His greatest work in the quiet moments when no one else is watching. He sees every tear, every prayer, every battle you fight inside your own mind. He has not forgotten you, and He is still walking beside you.
If today all you can do is take one small step, then take that step.
Tomorrow, take another.
One day you’ll look back and realize those small steps carried you farther than you ever imagined.
Your scars tell the story of what you’ve survived.
Your inner strength tells the story of where you’re going.
Keep moving forward.
Your best miles are still ahead.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
— Dave Beatty
Founder, Riders Against Domestic Violence (RADV)