Diane W. Bailey
About the Author

Diane W. Bailey is the author of String of Pearls,:30 Days to a Better Stepfamily, and contributor to (in)courage's A Moment to Breathe. Diane and her husband live on a pond in South Alabama. Diane loves photography, creating art with friends, and sunsets on any beach.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
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  1. Diane,

    Thank you for sharing your heart today. My husband left a 22-year place of ministry because of an autocratic abusive new pastor. It left a hole in my heart. We built a ministry and family there and it tore us to pieces to walk away. Healing comes slowly. But God is so gracious and good. I continue to wait on Him to lead us to our new place of ministry.

    • Kim, I’m so sorry for your pain. Healing can take such a long time. And, finding a new home can take a long time as well. I have prayed for you this morning that God will bring you to a wonderful church family very soon.

  2. Thank you for writing such an intimate piece. Humans often fail and sometimes betray , but the Devine is always there.
    For me , this piece is a reminder that the Church is not God.

  3. “It’s time to forgive,” I told myself. “Time to allow God to do something good with this broken heart.”

    I think of broken-heart-pieces, from the past, and those that are to come in the future and your words cause me to remember God always has, and always will, do His best work through forgiveness. Thank you.

  4. So beautiful. I’ve been in a broken church that just judged anyone who questioned. It is difficult. Thank you for the encouragement that God doesn’t change. The world is the one that hurts us. God always loves us.

    • I’m Sorry this was your experience in church. Just remember, as I must remind myself also, that God makes beauty out of ashes. I have prayed for you this morning. God is at work!

  5. Amazing story! My prayer is that this reaches those who need to heal their broken pieces and allow Jesus to do the healing.

  6. Diane, thank you for sharing this. The enemy is so shrewd but Jesus Grace wins every time. It is a struggle especially when we have been so hurt & broken, but if we can just keep our Faith and Focus on Jesus, we can get through any battle! I love your writing style and how you really put things in perspective. Thanks again for sharing!

  7. Diane, what a beautiful reminder about God’s love, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

    I think of the times I have have wanted to walk away. This line: “How could I walk away from the One whose love and presence have never left me?” makes me take a step back and ask, ” Yes…how can I?”

  8. What a beautifully written, authentic story of God’s healing and grace in our broken places! Thank you for sharing your pain and God’s love and faithfulness to bring hope to others.

  9. God knows how hard it is for us. He knows we will question him. He is prepared for it and doesn’t hold it against us. Such love and patience. We are beautiful to him in our brokenness because it brings us closer to him.

  10. Thank you for sharing this story Diane. Opening your heart to reveal this hurt will be helpful to so many. It is so painful when those you trust prove to be untrustworthy. Men will fail us, but God never will. This was wonderfully written. I felt like I was right there with you.

  11. No wonder your spirit reached out to me on the retreat in Nebraska! I love the language you used about stained glass windows.

  12. Lovely, my friend. Your road hasn’t been easy but you’ve kept the faith and continued pursuing Christian community. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue trusting him with your broken heart.

  13. I was abused in a church and I left never to return and was totally shunned as you were.
    But God!
    Psalm 18
    Psalms 18:20-24 MSG
    GOD made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to GOD’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. GOD rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.
    You know how Japanese mend broken bowls with gold making them more valuable?
    That’s what God has done with us.
    Love you Diane
    Xx

    • Mary you are such a mighty woman of God. I cannot imagine you sitting on the sidelines. I always pictured you leading women’s ministry. But, Whether in the church or in your neighborhood and online, You have blessed women so much with your prayers and presence. I love you!

  14. So sorry this happened in a place where you should feel safest. This scenario happened locally to a woman and when she came forward and the pastor was asked to step down, she was crucified on social media by people who didn’t know her and people she considered friends. I’m thankful you were able to overcome this. ❤

  15. I love you Aunt Dianne! So glad God used you to to shine light on something incredibly hard to be open about. Beautifully written testimony. Love the “Give me your broken heart & watch what I will do” ❤️

  16. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you for sharing. The church-especially one we have chosen should always be one of our safe spaces. It hurts my heart to know this happened to you. Many prayers and much love!♥️♥️♥️

  17. A beautiful expression of redemption, hope, and tender deliverance from one whose heart could have succumbed to bitterness and torment.

    Thank you for your courage, for availing yourself to the grace of God to travel the hard road to healing, and then waiting on the Lord for His timing to give others hope that He can and will do the same for them.

    He has bestowed on you “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair.” Isaiah 61:3

    May the Lord continue to bless you richly, Diane.

    • Thank you Nancy. And Isaiah 61 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. There was a season of anger and bitter tears.I wish I could say that it was like water off a duck’s back. But I had a hard season of unforgiveness. But God’s healing comes from his love. If we will slow and look, we find that He is always there showing us the way.

  18. Thank you for sharing your journey. Absolutely beautiful , powerful, and just! It takes courage to take a stand among whom we believe are saints. You did just that! You saved and help others who were afraid to take that stand. Bless you dear!

  19. That was beautifully written with the Holy Spirit guiding you through. This has blessed my soul. I was broken into a million pieces by many family members but the Lord has restored me and is putting back some lilttle missing fragments i forgot to give him, but its ok. I was always looking for a special someone to pour out all my pain coming from an unloving mother and abusive father but struggled to find it. But Jesus showed me how to lean and trust him when the voices of comfort werent there to get me through. His voice began to get louder in the silence, and although it was a painful struggle getting there, he got me there and continues to move me closer and closer. This experience is teaching me how to respond to others in their need of comfort and not to take their focus off their father, redeemer and creator whos knows every hair on your head. JESUS. My husband preached a message look up and live and since he went to be with the Lord, it comes to mind when im feeling low and need a Jesus pick me up. He reminds me that he is faithful, loving, kind and patient with us and will restore what the world will try and break, we just have to let him in those what we think are scary places inside of us that he already knows about. Proverbs 3:5,6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding and he will direct your path. (He will come in to restore you). Your story really opened up so much to me and im am blessed for you sharing. We over by our testimonies. Belived you are a blessing and inspiration of the Lords touch and restoration.

    • Susie, I have prayed for you. I am so glad you continue to heal. It is the Holy Spirit that heals us fully when there has been abuse, neglect or abandonment. Sometimes we do not see the full healing manifested all at once. There can seem like there are “Little pieces still missing”. But they are coming. I can tell you this with full confidence because, God has promised it. Healing has been a journey for me over many years. I believed I received full healing as soon as I forgave and asked for healing. At times the enemy will try to pull me back into the pit with a memory that frightens or angers me. I must choose to resist the memory and remind myself that it is under the blood of Jesus. Or will I hold onto it and allow it to wound me again…which means I need to heal again. I have no doubt you understand when I say, Healing is a daily discipline to believe the work Jesus has done for me. Keep the faith, Susta! Stay the course next to Jesus.

  20. I had what sounds like a similar experience. I found another church, but still, more than I’d like to admit I feel upset that God allowed that exp. to happen to begin with.

    • I understand how you feel that way. We may never fully understand “Why” in this lifetime. I felt the same way for a long time. We Just learn to take the next step a bit more cautiously. But in all things, I believe God loves me and you. I can say this with confidence because I know from where He has brought me. I’ve prayed for you this morning.

  21. Diane,

    Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful, painful story. God loves broken pieces/hearts. He will take them & mold them into something more exquisite than before. The prophet Isaiah speaks of that in Isaiah 61:1,3 God has anointed me to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We just need to tell God our stories & leave the rest to Him.

    Blessings 🙂

    • Yes, Beth, yes. I love this verse and held to it often. I was even able to laugh with God at times, asking, “Is my crown sparkling yet?” He has done so much good. And as Job asked one time, “can we only accept the good from God and not the difficult?” (Translation losely quoted according to my memory) Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read this post.