For the One

E.K. Wells

Description

Inspirational stories detail how sixteen broken and misunderstood souls found hope, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and an unwavering peace at the feet of Jesus.

We all enter this world longing to be accepted and loved. Despite our best efforts, we often feel lost and alone, even when we are surrounded by millions of people. Yet in the middle of this brokeness, it is possible to find a miraculous peace that surpasses all understanding: the extraordinary love of Jesus Christ.

Within deeply personal stories, fourteen individuals who were once broken and misunderstood share insight into their life experiences and path to building a lasting relationship with God with the intent of providing hope for the hopeless, a Father for the fatherless, love for the unlovable, grace for the alcoholic, safety for the homeless, enough love for the loss, redemption for the addict, freedom for the one imprisoned by his thoughts, forgiveness for the one longing to overcome a struggle, and identity for the one seeking approval.

For the One shares inspirational stories of hope, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and an unwavering peace found at the feet of Jesus.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 23 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781664275829
• Langue: English

Extrait

FOR THE ONE

Hope for the one who feels like giving up.





E.K. WELLS








Copyright © 2022 E.K. Wells.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.



WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7581-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7580-5 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7582-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915263



WestBow Press rev. date: 9/22/2022



DISCLAIMER
Each story is based on a true story and event that has taken place. To protect relationships that have been mended, names have been changed. Every story is told in the first person from the individual sharing their story. This is to keep the book authentic. The author has edited the stories to help keep the flow of the book. The author asked each individual, “What one word describes God throughout your story?” and their answer is the title of their story. For the One contains descriptive stories of abuse, addiction, and violence that may trigger readers who have been through similar situations.
If at any time you feel the Holy Spirit conviction to get saved, you can turn to the last page of the book for guidance.



DEDICATION
To the ones who put their darkest moments on paper for others to read, thank you. Thank you for your courage and faith in Christ that He will use your story to reach the ones.
To the ones reading this book: I was one of you. And I pray that in these pages, you find the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me to write this book. Thank You for transforming me during the process of writing and never leaving my side when I doubted or ran from this calling. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and this book.
Mom and Dad, thank you for teaching me that I can do anything with God’s help. Thank you for never doubting that I could finish this book!
Rip and Ivy, thank you for not only being my family, but being my friends. Thank you both for being two people I can trust with my fears, my dreams, and everything in between. Thank you for letting me hang out at your house with those beautiful kids when life just seemed too heavy to go on.
Pawpaw Kennedy, although you didn’t get to see the finished product, you were so proud of me and supportive of this book. Thank you for having the hard, uncomfortable conversation about our story and for giving me permission to share our story of redemption. I’m so thankful that through Christ, we were able to make peace before you passed. I am also grateful God gave us a couple of years with you after years of brokenness.
Grandma Kennedy, thank you for never giving up and always fighting for our relationship.
Grandma and Grandpa Jones, thank you for loving us so well when it seemed like our world got turned upside down. You’ll never know how much the two of you mean to me.
Editors, thank you for challenging me to become the best author I could be and helping me bring this book to life through these pages.
Designer, I may never have the words to express my gratitude for bringing my vision and heart for this book to life on the front cover. Thank you.



INTRODUCTION
Ha ve you ever felt lost and all alone? When we enter this world, we have no control over the situation we are born into or the family we get. If we are lucky, we start out with a pretty good life. We’re loved, protected, and provided for. But this isn’t the case for everyone. For some individuals, the unimaginable actions of themselves or others lead to deep, unshakable heartache and pain. They self-destruct in an effort to escape, to find something to simply hold on to.
Yet in the middle of this brokenness, some find a miraculous peace that surpasses all understanding. They find extraordinary love through Jesus Christ. These are their stories—stories about hope for the hopeless, a Father for the fatherless, love for the unlovable, grace for the alcoholic, safety for the homeless, enough for the loss, redemption for the porn addict, freedom for the one imprisoned by his thoughts, forgiveness for the one longing to overcome a struggle, and identity for the one looking for approval.
The truth is we never know what people have been through or what they are currently experiencing. We may not ever hear their stories or know their scars. However, when we share our story, strangers become friends. People go from death to life. And in this book, we share our stories with you. My dear friend, you are loved. God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you and your sins (John 3:16–17). Whether you are on the streets, in a church pew, or somewhere in between, God has a purpose for your life. He loves you right where you are.
We have poured our hearts out to you, and I pray you take in every word we share. As you open this book and read each story, you may feel the need to set the book down because a story touches your heart or hits a little too close to home. That’s okay. Lean into that moment. Each soul has shared a story to reach you, the one reading this book. I ask that you open your heart and let God speak to you, change you, and bring you into a relationship with Him and a deeper understanding of Him. God sees you, loves you, and is reaching out to you just as you are. You don’t have to be perfect or get your life in order to accept Christ today.
You may not relate to one person’s entire story, but I do believe you can relate to one part of one person’s story. Each story is all about Jesus – a love that leaves the ninety-nine for the one – and He rejoices when the one turns to Him (Luke 15:3-7). Friend, this book is for you, and we welcome you to read through each of our stories. May you see Christ in every page.



CONTENTS
Disclaimer
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Father
Wonderful
Merciful
Redeemed
Forgiving
Steadfast
Safety
Enough
Grace
Present
Freedom
Loss
Faithful
Identity
Just One



FATHER



Father
This is the untold story of a daughter and her son. Despite abuse, torture, and rape, lives are saved in the midst of it all. They are given the strength to stand tall. Where did it all go wrong? This is the story of a loving Father that needs to be told.
M y story isn’t an easy one to tell. In fact, I have only told it in full three times. The first time I fainted. The second time I had a panic attack. The third time I was able to make it through the entire narrative. Each time I tell the story, I remember a little bit more, and it usually takes me some time to recuperate, to heal, and to rest. My therapist told me this is a normal reaction for those who have been through severe tragedy or multiple tragedies. Our brains repress the really big scary stuff. It’s a coping mechanism for survival, and the best way to unlock those memories is to tell them. I am blessed each time I tell my story because God gives me more and more strength to overcome.
As I share my story today, my hope is that you will see God in His glory woven throughout every high mountaintop and the lowest of valleys. My prayer is that as you read with me, you will allow the Holy Spirit to show you the amazing things He has done throughout my life because of my experiences. May this bring hope and peace to you, and may you always remember God’s word in Romans 8:28 (KJV): “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.” It says “all things,” folks—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Throughout my own life’s story, as I reflect on the past, I can see clearly how God worked out each and every instance for good. And I hope you will see it too. Before I shared my testimony with my friend Elizabeth, she told me that God revealed the following to her: “You can’t have a story without a beginning and an end.” With that in mind, I start the beginning of my story with my earliest memory.
I was told the very first memory as far back as you can remember is supposed to define how your life goes. Well, if that were true, I would be in big trouble. Luckily, there is no truth to that. My first memory was when I was six years old. I remember being in a bathtub with my brother. My mom was washing us and frantically packing a bag at the same time. I didn’t know what was going