A Journey from Trauma to Triumph

From the earliest years of my life, I knew what it meant to feel joy.
Music filled our home, and my father and I shared a deep love for it. Wherever he went, I went too. Together we would sing, and oh, was I ever a daddy’s girl. Those were sweet moments—simple, sacred, and full of light.

But at the tender age of six, my world was turned upside down. My parents divorced, and though I was just a little girl, I somehow believed it was my fault. That belief broke my heart into a million pieces. I was separated from my father and began living with my mother, and though she did the best she could, life quickly grew more complicated.

A few years later, my mother remarried—and that’s when things shifted from painful to unsafe. I entered an environment where innocence was stolen, boundaries were broken, and trauma took root. What should have been a safe home became a place of fear and sorrow. My soul bore scars that no one could see, and my heart began to mourn the loss of peace, safety, and identity. Abuse has a way of silencing you—from the inside out. I lived for years in shame, silence, and eventually despair. There were moments I didn’t want to go on.

But then… Jesus stepped in.

At 17 years old, I gave my heart to the Lord. It was the beginning of the greatest unraveling—and the most sacred restoration. God didn’t heal me all at once. He met me in pieces. Day by day, He gently pulled back the layers. Week by week, He revealed places in my heart that had long been shut off—wounds I had hidden behind locked doors. And to every trigger… every memory… every dream that took me back to the pain… He came in. And He healed.

The same voice that trauma tried to silence became the voice God would use.
The shame that once held me down became the story that lifts others up.
The grief that nearly consumed me became the oil that fuels my anointing.

Through the journey of healing, I’ve learned this: Jesus doesn’t just want to save you—He wants to restore you. He wants to walk into the rooms you’ve closed off and sit with you in the silence until healing comes. And it does come. Slowly. Tenderly. Powerfully. One layer at a time.

Today, I am whole. Not because I’ve never been broken—but because God Himself stepped into the brokenness and rebuilt me. My story is not one of perfection, but of redemption. And that’s why I wrote One Voice—because if He can do it for me, He can do it for you.

If you’re still in the process, please know this:
You’re not alone.
You’re not forgotten.
And healing is still possible.

Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
And God is not finished with you yet.

With love and healing,
Janet Swanson
Author of One Voice