Overcoming Trauma And Living A Life Of Resilience | Special Guest: M'Lisa Goff
RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:
John 16: 33
John 10: 10
SHOW NOTES:
Pastor M’Lisa Goff- wife, mother, teacher, and mighty woman of God–shares her story of God’s kindness, power, and restoration on full display throughout every facet of her life. With an amazing testimony of overcoming trauma and loss to living a life of victory through resilience, M’Lisa communicates what it means to have steadfast strength and faith that overcomes, turning tragedy into something beautiful.
Providing amazing advice and an incredible testimony, every chapter of M’Lisa’s life displays the love, joy, and hope available through Jesus no matter what someone has been through.
From early on, the enemy was after the call God had placed on M’Lisa’s life. M’Lisa fell victim to a life-altering trauma at a very young age which robbed her of her security and trust and replaced it with guilt and shame. As a result, her teenage years were marked by a level of rebellion as unforgiveness held her in chains. Yet, M’Lisa never stopped treasuring and loving God. Reflecting on forgiveness, M’Lisa recounted that we cannot hold on to the wrongs against us because we, not the perpetrators, are held prisoner.
Through the process of meeting and the engagement to her husband, M’Lisa was guided through forgiveness, being able to walk into their marriage healed. As M’Lisa and her husband embarked on starting a ministry, the couple had three boys two and under, which thrust her into a very challenging season, proving to be difficult and chaotic. M’Lisa found herself trying to keep her head above the water as a young mother. With the stresses of life, parenting, and full-time ministry compounded, M’Lisa and her husband arrived at their next trial, followed by a time of M’Lisa seeking solace in sin and the world. Looking back, she admonishes that while sin may be fun for a season, in the end, it sucks you into a dark hole of hopelessness. However, in hopelessness, God can heal! M’Lisa knew if she was willing to work with God, He would work all things together for her good. Today, M’Lisa and her husband passionately preach to reconcile relationships and have seen several broken marriages restored!
The victory M’Lisa has chosen to have over the traumatic events and unfathomable loss and heartache throughout her life is a true testament to God’s goodness and His hand at play in her life.
“The scars of our lives that we give to Jesus,” she reflected, “represent the blood poured out to cover us. All of the blood that was shed for me was what allowed me to recuperate, recover, and to heal.”
God allowed Jesus to have scars to prove to us that our scars carry power; they are not wasted. M’Lisa’s scars on her life–like those of our Savior’s–are a reminder of His goodness, His faithfulness, and His power that we can keep moving, we can keep living, and we can keep joy in our hearts, giving hope to others.
M’Lisa testified that we have to hold on to Jesus because we don’t have the power in our own strength–that we need a savior to give us the hope to keep going, that we have a tomorrow and tomorrow has a purpose…that with Jesus, pain and beauty really can exist at the same time.