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Graduation

Elizabeth overcomes paralyzing grief, hopelessness at Shepherd’s Door

Completely grief-stricken and utterly broken, Elizabeth came to Shepherd’s Door after the pain of losing her husband became too much. Living life and trying to function in a healthy way became virtually impossible. Elizabeth had reached a breaking point, and the rabbit hole she tried to keep so hard from falling down was no longer avoidable.

“I was in an emotional, very depressed state all the time,” she said. “I really wanted to give up on myself, and life in general.”

In front of the packed courtyard at Shepherd’s Door, Elizabeth described a day when, in the midst of her struggles, she found herself sitting in a van with her friend Marcie, and had a very frank, very honest conversation with God.

“Right there, I just prayed with all my heart, and said ‘God, I don’t know how to choose. I don’t know how to make good choices in my life. I don’t know what I’m doing, but you do, and I want to give my life to you.”

Fear and confusion soon gave way to peace and comfort. What once seemed so overwhelmingly hopeless and terrifying for Elizabeth took on a completely different feeling.

“In my transition, after I began opening up, my growth leader told me that I had been running for so long, I feel like there is this big grizzly chasing me,” she explained. “But if I stop, turn around, and take this journey step by step, I’ll be able to slow down.

“Now I just envision and imagine that grizzly as a teddy bear. … I have patience for myself.”

Since this realization, Elizabeth’s life looks completely different. Not only has she graduated from the New Life Ministry and Shepherd’s Door, but her future is one filled with hope and stability that simply didn’t exist before.

IMG_9616“I can allow for my strength to come through on the situations in my life I am working through … once I gave my life over to God, everything drastically changed.”

Now, Elizabeth finds herself with a new job, a home and her own car. She even took a “run with God” at the Vancouver USA Marathon. Elizabeth has found purpose and meaning.

“Coming in here, I was so scared and nervous,” she said. “But a butterfly that has broken out of its cocoon too early doesn’t get too far.

“I’m thankful to have had Shepherd’s Door in my life because I know it is a path I needed to take.”

(SEE PHOTOS OF ELIZABETH FROM SHEPHERD’S DOOR JUBILEE)

MARCI MORMANCE ON ELIZABETH’S RECOVERY JOURNEY OVER THE LAST YEAR:

My dear sweet Elizabeth, when I think of the last year, the word metamorphic comes to mind. Most common is a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. A caterpillar prepares for its change by taking in as much nutrients as it can get. You too have been gobbling up as much help and information as you can get in step with your amazing surrender. And then you meditated on it and applied it. … You are like a beautiful butterfly. They travel far, and so will you. I hope to be a part of your journey.

FAVORITE SCRIPTURE OVER THE LAST YEAR:

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) – Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.


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