When Forgiveness Broke the Chains
A Story of Survival, Forgiveness, and the Healing Power of God
Today we welcome guest writer Renee Kay, who shares a deeply moving piece inspired by her interview with Sherry J. It was one of the most emotional and profound interviews she has ever done.
How One Woman Escaped Abuse, Found Her Voice, and Was Miraculously Healed
The true story of a nurse, a mother, a survivor—and the God who met her when everything in her life was breaking at once.
A Marriage That Became a Battleground
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
Sherry was young, hopeful, and determined to build a home rooted in faith. But the man she married was not the man she thought he was. His anger, which began as sharp words, slowly grew into manipulation, then cruelty, and eventually into daily, unpredictable violence.
She remembers kneeling to clean a spill when he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the floor. She remembers a homemade dinner shoved and ground into her face. She remembers animals harmed, children terrorized, and a home saturated in fear.
She stayed because she believed marriage was sacred. She endured because she believed suffering was something you pushed through quietly. She prayed because she believed God saw her, even when no one else did.
But pain layered itself into her bones until even her body began to break.
When the Soul Can’t Take Anymore
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” — Jeremiah 33:3
After 24 years of surviving what many women do not survive, Sherry fasted for three weeks, begging God for direction. She did not fast for escape—she fasted for wisdom.
God whispered back:
“Separate yourself.”
It was the lifeline she had prayed for.
But choosing freedom meant inviting danger. Her husband made death threats. He described, in front of their daughter, how he could hire someone to kill her.
She fled with her children and obtained a five-year protection order. Yet her body continued collapsing under the strain of trauma she had carried for decades.
Trauma Written Into the Body
“My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.” — Psalm 31:10
During the later years of her abusive marriage, Sherry developed fibromyalgia. The pain spread from her hands to her arms and eventually throughout her entire body. After leaving the marriage, she worked as a nurse while raising five children alone—but her body continued breaking down.
Then, in 2016, after a long hospital shift, she woke with pain so severe she could hardly breathe. Her neck had fractured in three places. Herniated discs. Bulging discs. A cervical fusion surgery. Chronic opioids just to function.
Her life shrank to a recliner and a bed. Her spirit shrank under the weight of despair. Dark thoughts whispered. Hope grew faint.
But even then, God had not abandoned her.
The Closet Where Everything Changed
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
One night, unable to sleep because of the pain, Sherry felt God tugging her toward a prayer closet—small, dark, and unfamiliar. She whispered:
“Lord, I’ll do whatever You want.”
Instead of giving new instructions, He reminded her of one she had avoided:
to stand in public holding a simple sign—FREE PRAYER
Despite the rain. Despite overwhelming pain. Despite moving slowly and painfully. Sherry obeyed. People came. She prayed. And every time she closed her eyes, she saw a warm golden light—though the sun was behind her and she stood in the shade.
It felt like God saying:
“Thank you for trusting Me.”
But the deepest breakthrough was still ahead.
Forgiving the Unforgivable
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” — Matthew 6:14
“See to it… that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” — Hebrews 12:15
On August 3rd, while lying awake in bed, Sherry asked God if something was blocking her healing.
His answer was immediate:
“My child, your body is breaking under the weight of it all.
What good does it do you to hold onto this?”
He meant unforgiveness.
Years of terror, humiliation, betrayal, and fear. Years of trying to carry justice herself. Years of wounds never allowed to surface.
Then God said:
“I want you to give your children permission to forgive their father.”
They believed forgiving him meant betraying her. God said forgiveness would break the generational chain. Through tears, she said yes.
Then God said:
“Ask Me to heal you.”
She whispered,
“Lord… will You heal me?”
The Miracle
“For you who revere My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” — Malachi 4:2
“By His stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5
Within two seconds, she felt movement beneath her back.
A stitching.
A knitting.
A gentle but powerful sewing sensation—as if invisible hands were repairing her spine and muscles.
Before it began, she saw the Lord’s outstretched hand:
“Give Me your pain.”
She released it.
And the pain vanished.
Her fibromyalgia disappeared.
Her spinal pain dissolved.
Foods that once triggered agony caused no pain at all.
She went from oxycodone four times a day…
to zero medication.
Her doctor was stunned.
Sherry knew the truth:
God had healed her completely.
Learning to Live in Freedom
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” — James 4:7
Healing didn’t mean the enemy surrendered quietly.
Pain tried to return.
Old memories whispered.
Fear tried to creep back in.
But Sherry learned she no longer had to agree with the enemy.
Every time pain tried to return, she said:
“No. God healed me.”
And the pain fled—every time.
REFLECTION
1. When Pain Is Hidden
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3
What pain have I minimized or hidden?
How is my body showing me the burdens I’ve ignored?
2. The Weight of Unforgiveness
“Be kind and compassionate… forgiving each other.” — Ephesians 4:32
Who do I struggle to forgive, and why?
What would freedom feel like?
3. When God Asks for Obedience
“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land.” — Isaiah 1:19
What has God already asked me to do?
What keeps me from saying yes?
4. Hearing God in the Quiet
“My sheep listen to My voice.” — John 10:27
What noise keeps me from hearing God?
When was the last time I sat in stillness with Him?
5. Asking for the Miracle Again
“You do not have because you do not ask God.” — James 4:2b
What miracle have I stopped praying for?
Where have I accepted hopelessness as normal?
Prayer of Forgiveness
Lord Jesus,
I release every burden I have carried alone.
I release every person who has wounded me into Your hands.
Heal the places I cannot heal myself.
Show me where to obey, forgive, and trust.
I choose freedom, hope, and restoration.
Amen.
The Blessing
May the God who healed Sherry meet you in the quiet places where you are breaking, speak to the wounds no one sees, and lead you into the freedom that only forgiveness can unlock.
Healing is ahead of you.
If you’d like to watch Sherry’s full interview with Renee Kay, you can do so here.
We invite you to leave a comment below!
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