Week 5: The Impossible Life: Weekly Reflections on Faith, Pain, and Triumph
- Elizabeth Ford
- May 29
- 4 min read
Week 5: Confidence in the Sunlight, Healing on the Other Side of the Storm
By Elizabeth M. Ford
🌍 From Trauma to Travel
This past week, I did something I never imagined possible. I went overseas for the first time in my life.
And I didn’t go alone. I went with the man I now call my husband, Mr. Ford, as we celebrated ten years of marriage.
Ten years. No fear. No pain.
Only love, respect, and celebration.
While walking the beach, I wore a conservative two-piece swimsuit, a bold choice for a woman who once felt disgusted by her own reflection. I was nervous. But then my husband looked at me with pride and said, “I’m so proud of your confidence. You look beautiful.”
I stood there stunned. Not because of his words, but because I actually believed him.
💔 I Didn’t Always Know Love Could Look Like This
Twenty-five years ago, I began my life as a young mother with no self-worth and nowhere to go. Then came the man who would become my ex-husband, a man who saw my lack of confidence and used it to control me when I was just 22 years old.
I was broken when he found me, and for ten years, he shattered what was left.
He hated my stretch marks after childbirth by shaking his hand in disgust if he touched my stomach.
He mocked my teeth, my hair, and my skin.
He weaponized my past, my GED, my drug history, my mistakes, and reminded me of them daily as his reason for me being worthless.
He took my confidence and used it as a leash.
When I had our daughter, I stopped working. I became trapped financially, emotionally, and physically. My credit collapsed. I couldn’t afford a single bill. I was stuck.
Eventually, the abuse turned physical.
🥀 From Push to Plate
It started small. A shove. A push. A slap. Then so much more.
One of the worst nights of my life was when he hit me in the face with a plate, splitting open my eye lid, because I dared to speak up for my child.
I can still hear the sound of my children screaming.
The rest was a blur of panic and fear.
All I remember is grabbing my babies, bleeding everywhere, terrified, and running out the door with them beside me.
I ended up in the hospital, laying on the bed getting stitches. The cops were called by the hospital to my room, and the officer gave me a look of I want to say disgust when I said I was too scared to press charges in fear of worse retaliation. But that wasn’t the end.
Like many women, I went back.
He got sober. I wanted to believe him.
He got drunk again, and hurt me even more and cheated with many women. I left again.
Then I went back again.
Then came my twin boys. I was now in college, doing night classes online, chasing a degree no one thought I could finish and working full time.
And one night, when he pinned me to the floor, something inside me shifted. I finally called the police.
This time, he actually left to never come back, along with a multi year restraining order this time I had put on him.
💵 Thirty-Five Dollars and a New Beginning
I had thirty-five dollars in the bank.
A job. Four kids. And a mountain of bills.
That’s when I truly began to pray. Not just cry out, but pray with purpose.
I asked God for peace, for clarity, and for strength. And He gave me all three.
Not all at once, but day by day.
💬 This Week’s Truth: Confidence Isn’t Loud. It’s Peaceful.
Healing doesn’t always come in fireworks. Sometimes it comes when:
You smile at yourself in the mirror
You wear a swimsuit and feel beautiful
You speak up when you used to stay silent
You leave and never look back
Confidence isn’t about being perfect. It’s about finally believing that you don’t deserve to be broken anymore.
🔥 Overcomer Challenge
This week, I challenge you to reflect on your journey.
Ask yourself:
Where have I quietly healed in ways others can’t see?
What is one small act I can do this week that shows I believe in my worth?
Maybe it’s going somewhere alone. Maybe it’s saying no.
Maybe it’s simply looking at yourself without judgment.
You’ve come farther than you realize.
💌 Final Words
I used to believe I was too broken to be loved, too far gone to be healed, too ashamed to be seen.
But now I know the truth.
You can start over. You can love again. You can wear your scars and still shine.
If I can find peace after years of pain, you can too.
Until next week,
Elizabeth M. Ford
Wife | Mother | Survivor | Overcomer
🛑 If You Need Help, Please Don’t Wait
You are not alone. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support, please reach out:
Domestic Violence Support
📞 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
💬 Text: START to 88788
Addiction Recovery Support
📞 SAMHSA National Helpline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
These are free, confidential services available 24/7.
Your story doesn’t end in pain. Help is real. Healing is possible. You are worth fighting for.
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