Dear Mama: God’s Not Done With Your StorySample

He Brought Me Back to Life (April’s Story)

Dear Mama,

If today feels like too much, if you're barely holding it together, or if you’ve whispered, “I can’t do this anymore”—I want you to hear something loud and clear:

Jesus sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. And He’s not finished with your story.

I want to tell you about April.

She was a young mom, overwhelmed by addiction and desperation. Her world was spiraling, her family falling apart, and her little girl caught in the middle of the chaos. The breaking point came one night when her cousin overdosed right in front of her. Seventeen minutes of CPR. Seventeen minutes of pleading, sobbing, and screaming to God for help.

When her cousin came back to life, April realized she needed to come back to life, too.

She saw herself in him—numb, broken, and barely hanging on. And right then and there, she made a decision: Something has to change.

She didn’t feel ready. She didn’t feel worthy. But she was willing to take one brave step. She reached out for help, and by the grace of God, there was a place waiting for her—a recovery home where she could bring her baby girl and begin again.

Maybe your story looks different. But if you're honest, maybe you know that feeling—that moment where you’re face-down in brokenness, unsure if you’ll ever breathe again. Maybe you've had your own “seventeen minutes.”

But Mama, I want you to hear this:

You are not stuck. You are not too far gone. And you are not beyond the reach of God’s grace.

The Bible says in Jonah 2 that from the depths—literally inside a fish—Jonah cried out to God, and the Lord heard him. That’s what April did. That’s what I’ve done. That’s what you can do too.

God doesn’t flinch at the depths of our despair. He climbs into them. And He pulls us out.

April didn’t just recover—she was redeemed. Her child is safe. Her marriage was restored. She now helps other women find hope. What the enemy meant for destruction, God used to build a brand-new legacy.

You might be standing in the middle of a mess right now. But I promise you—Jesus is already working in it. He can breathe life into the parts of you that feel dead. He can bring purpose to your pain and turn your story around.

He did it for April.
He did it for me.
He can do it for you.

Reflection:

1. Is there a part of your life where you feel like you're just surviving?
2. What would it look like to take one step toward healing today?
3. Have you seen God answer a desperate prayer before? What did that teach you?

Prayer:
Jesus, I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for a long time. But I believe You can bring life where I only see brokenness. Help me cry out to You, even when the words don’t come out right. Breathe new life into my heart. Pull me out of the deep waters and give me the strength to take the next step. I want more than survival—I want freedom. In Your name, Amen.