Faith News Network

The following testimony was written by Hannah Franklin, a 16-year-old who attends North Cleveland Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee. This is her firsthand story of a recent missions trip.

Our world is in desperate need of heroes and heroines who choose to live well in spite of overwhelming circumstances and enormous disappointment. How we choose to live during the most difficult moments of our lives will actually write the story of our legacy.

From a combined birth defect so rare only 50 other cases exist in the world, Christian Buchanan was born without eyes. Now, in her new book, Through the Eyes of Hope, Christian’s mom, Lacey Buchanan, tells the gripping story of how God helped two parents see the worst circumstances radiate with glory.

On a recent ministry trip to Hong Kong, Poppi Smith, wife of Tommy Smith, regional superintendent/representative South Pacific Region/Indonesia, experienced chest and arm pains during a flight.

Trauma shatters a person’s confidence. Whether it’s the trauma of physical abuse, a devastating illness, relational loss, or a life-changing accident, the survivor typically has a deep sense of brokenness, and sometimes shame, even though she did not do anything wrong. The unrelenting pain and self-condemning thoughts fracture her self-worth: “You’re not as strong as you thought; you’re not as good as you thought; you’re not as indestructible.”

I still remember when I did an exclusive interview with gospel music sensation Carman. It wasn’t too long after he got his cancer diagnosis—and he was mad with the devil.