On August 28, 2019, RADV shared a simple message:
“Your strength amazes me. You’ve told your abuser, ‘I’m taking my life back. You can no longer have control over me. The power is in my hands.’”
Years later, those words still carry the same truth.
Taking your life back does not always happen in one bold moment. Sometimes it begins with a quiet decision no one else can see.
It may begin when you recognize that what is happening to you is not love.
It may begin when you tell someone you trust what you have been experiencing.
It may begin when you contact a domestic violence help center, gather important documents, change a password, speak with an advocate, or begin making a safety plan.
Sometimes taking your life back simply means allowing yourself to believe that you deserve something better.
Your Strength May Not Feel Like Strength
Survivors do not always recognize their own courage.
When you have spent months or years being criticized, controlled, threatened, isolated, or made to question your own judgment, it can become difficult to see the strength it took to keep going.
But you are still here.
You adapted. You endured. You protected what you could. You found ways to survive situations other people may never fully understand.
That does not mean you should have had to endure the abuse. It means the strength was inside you even during the moments when you felt powerless.
Reclaiming Your Power Safely
Taking your life back does not mean you must confront your abuser or announce that you are leaving. Separation can be a particularly dangerous time, and every survivor’s circumstances are different.
Your safety comes first.
Reclaiming your power may mean making careful decisions with the help of a trained advocate. It may mean leaving quietly, waiting until the safest opportunity, or taking small steps toward independence before anyone else knows what you are planning.
There is no shame in moving cautiously.
There is no weakness in asking for help.
You do not have to prove your courage by placing yourself in greater danger.
The Power Was Never Theirs To Keep
Abuse can make someone feel as though every choice belongs to the person controlling them. But an abuser does not own your identity, your purpose, or the rest of your story.
Your voice still matters.
Your dreams still matter.
Your future still belongs to you.
Healing may take time. There may be difficult days, setbacks, grief, fear, and moments when you question yourself. None of that erases the progress you have made.
Every boundary you establish, every safe connection you rebuild, and every decision you make for your own well-being is another piece of your life returning to your hands.
The Message Continues
The original archive graphic was created years ago, but its message remains at the heart of RADV today:
You survived.
You matter.
You made it this far.
Keep going—one mile at a time.
God has not forgotten you. Even when the road ahead is uncertain, you do not have to travel it alone. Help exists, hope remains, and your best miles can still be ahead.
If you are experiencing abuse, consider contacting a qualified domestic violence advocate to discuss your circumstances and create a personalized safety plan. If you are in immediate danger, call emergency services in your location.
Riders Against Domestic Violence — We Are the Bridge
Connecting survivors with help, hope, resources, and a road forward.
Visit RADV.org
Bloom Beyond Bruises — An RADV Initiative
Encouraging healing, renewed purpose, and life beyond abuse.
Your best miles are ahead.