It Takes Faith To Forgive
A conversation between Deandra Drake, guest; and Devaughn Williamson, host.
Life has a way of throwing curveballs. That was certainly the case for Deandra Drake. Deandra’s story is one of those raw and powerful testimonies that shows how easy it is to lose sight of who you really are and your purpose when you get caught up in a cycle of seeking love, validation, and belonging from all the wrong places. But it’s also a story of God’s grace in the midst of brokenness, and transforming pain into purpose.
Growing up, Deandra faced unimaginable hardships. From living in extreme poverty, with no running water and only a bucket for sanitation, to dealing with the absence of her father, her early years were shaped by a lack of stability and security. Her mom, a disabled single parent, did her best but had the odds stacked against her. Deandra’s upbringing allowed her to experience a front row seat to God’s faithfulness.
Fast forward to college, and Deandra’s dreams of escaping poverty through education were derailed. She ended up declining a full scholarship to follow a guy. This relationship was built on codependency, and became toxic for her. She lost her reputation, her financial stability, and her sense of self-worth. Deandra slowly found herself trading her God-given dream for a false sense of love and security.
Her story is a painful but familiar one. For Deandra, it encompassed betrayal after betrayal even after she convinced herself that love would eventually heal those wounds. But the longer she turned a blind eye to it, the more emotional hurt she inflicted upon herself. She found herself holding on to this toxic relationship because it gave her a sense of control.
It was at that moment, when everything came crashing down in her life, that the betrayal, heartbreak, and lost opportunities made her realize the hard truth.
And the truth was God’s plan for her was never meant to be traded for fleeting comfort. It took a while but that clarity finally came and Deandra realized that she placed things like her relationship, need for approval, and her dreams on the throne of her heart.
The hardest part of this turning point was not just breaking away physically, but it was the emotional separation. Forgiving a loved one who has hurt you is never easy, but forgiveness is a choice. Deandra chose to forgive and trust that God had something better for her, and by realizing that is when she experienced real freedom.
If you were to ask Deandra what was the key to her transformation, she would say that it was forgiveness. Forgiveness was the key that unlocked her path to healing. Unforgiveness, on the other hand, works against you and acts as a poison that slowly kills you. When we refuse to forgive, we hold ourselves hostage to pain and bitterness. Deandra relates it to carry a backpack full of rocks on a long journey. The only way you will make meaningful progress is to unload the backpack. And that’s what Deandra did. She chose to release the anger, hurt, and bitterness towards her offender. Not for them, but for herself. By forgiving, she broke free from the emotional chains that had kept her bound for so long.
When she finally surrendered to God, he began to show her her real identity. She was able to identify as a woman who has been redeemed and given a calling to impact others by using her story to bring hope to those who feel lost or trapped in similar situations.
Some time after her healing journey, Deandra shared her story of walking through the loss of her mother. Her mother’s battle with cancer was a long and painful road.
It was a tension between praying for a miracle while still facing the reality that God’s plan was different. That circumstance felt impossible for Deandra to navigate.
As a believer, Deandra knew that healing was a right of God’s children. But when she didn’t see God answer her prayers in the way she expected, the journey turned into a struggle of faith. But in those moments, she found herself shifting her focus not on what God did not do, but who He was in her time of grief. She discovered that God’s sovereignty wasn’t just in the miracles, but it was also in the times when His answer was “no”.
During a period of grief, Deandra did not know what to pray so she prayed in her heavenly language. It was then that the Holy Spirit spoke to her words she didn’t know - Talitha Cumi. A few weeks later, Deandra heard a sermon with those exact words (Mark 5:40). It was as if God was telling her to arise! It wasn’t just a physical healing but the mind as well.
Even through her grief, Deandra’s faith grew. She learned to focus less on temporal things and more on her relationship with Jesus.
Deandra’s story is a powerful reminder that no matter how messy, painful or uncertain life gets, God is still Lord of all and he is still good. If you are walking through a tough season in life, know that you are not doing it alone. Know that God is walking through it with you!
If Deandra’s story moved you, consider sharing it with someone who needs encouragement. And if you're able, partner with Faith Ignite to help bring more stories of hope to the world. Together, we can spread messages of God's faithfulness to those who need it most.
Devaughn Williamson President, Faith Ignite Inc
