Survivor Songs began as a project theme-specific to childhood sexual abuse, but has expanded to encompass emotional and relational healing in many facets of life.
Below you will find a list of posts, many specific to abuse survivorship and many others specific to depression, anxiety, divorce, miscarriage, loss, etc. To read more about Survivor Songs, the idea and motivation behind it, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Posts Specific to Depression:
- Depression – Clinical Depression, after surviving the worst of the darkness
- All My Desire Is Before Thee – the Psalmist’s cry
- A Breakdown – “Thou makest darkness and it is night” (Psalm 104) – when the mind and body betray
- Ashes, Ashes, Body and Blood
- When Does Comfort Come? – mourning while parenting a child with invisible special needs – guest post. What if comfort does not mean the cessation of mourning? At least not yet?
- Postpartum Depression – guest post
- With Me In The Rain – an artist’s impression of Christ with me, guest post
- Take me to all Depression posts
Posts Specific to Anxiety:
- Just With Me – an artist’s impression of Christ with me, guest post
- Forged Through Mourning – living with an Anxiety Disorder, guest post
- Depression/You’re Not Listening – “Anxiety is your heart saying, ‘you’re not listening!’ Anxiety is your helper.”
- A Breakdown – “Thou makest darkness and it is night” (Psalm 104) – when the mind and body betray
- Take me to all Anxiety posts
Some Posts Specific to Sexual Abuse:
- Why I’m Writing About Sexual Abuse
- Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Basics and a Conversation
- Talking About Childhood Sexual Abuse, Part 1 (an experience with my daughter; a reference to a trauma trigger)
- Talking About Childhood Sexual Abuse, Part 2
- Letter To My Teenage Self
- The Lie That Fell Like a Curse (a story, part 1)
- “That’s Not True” (a story, part 2)
- Mourn The Shame (a story, part 3)
- These Are Ashes, This Is Mourning (a story, part 4)
- Spirit of Life (a story, part 5/conclusion)
Survivor Songs Original Series:
The original month-long series of posts, using the Beatitudes for structure. We looked intently at what it means to mourn, and what it means to be comforted.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
- Poor In Spirit
- What Do You Mourn?
- Just With Me – guest post by artist Ramone Romero
- Ugliest Crier In The World – guest post by Katie Hudgins
- Formulas Will Never Heal Your Soul – why I can’t say “all you need is Jesus” (even though it’s true)
- What ‘Blessed’ Really Means
- Mourning Requires Vulnerability
- Vulnerability In Real Time – a post of links
- Earthed In Jesus
- Creator Hears – guest post by artist Ramone Romero
- Joy Forged Through Mourning – the silver lining of one woman’s anxiety disorder (guest post by Heather Lee)
- Oh God, You Have Betrayed Us – another look at vulnerability
- The Lie That Fell Like A Curse – a story about comfort, part 1
- A Poem, Matthew 6:25 – guest post by Laura Camacho
- The Secret Grief of Miscarriage – guest post by Holly Malkin
- With Me In The Rain – guest post by artist Ramone Romero
- Healing Waters: Reflections on Postpartum Depression – guest post by Jennifer Lalas
- Worship In Tears: mourning chronic illness – guest post by Katie
- “That’s Not True” – a story about comfort, part 2
- Beatitudes, Revisited
- Mourn The Shame – a story about comfort, part 3
- These Are Ashes, This Is Mourning – a story about comfort, part 4
- Spirit of Life – a story about comfort, part 5 (conclusion)
- At Peace – guest post by artist Ramone Romero
- Experiencing God In Ugly Places: divorce, depression, bullying – guest post by Austin Way
- When Does Comfort Come? – mourning while parenting a child with invisible special needs – guest post by Laura Camacho
- “Where Do We Go From Here? God Have Mercy” – a special Marriage Startup Podcast – guest post by Leslie and Laura Camacho
- What “Comforted” Really Means
- Tearing Down The Fence – the grief and healing of RE-ENTRY – guest post by Hallie Ziebart
- Becoming Abundant
- Comfort Others
- Mourning The Missing Pieces – guest post by Heather Way
- Mourn With Those Who Mourn – guest post by artist Ramone Romero
- You Are Not Alone – final post of initial series
All Posts:
About Survivor Songs
Survivor Songs began as a project theme-specific to sexual abuse, but has expanded to encompass emotional and relational healing in many facets of life.
There is a story in the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament where all of the people of Israel and Judah, who had for so long been exiled and now have returned to the ruins of their homeland, are gathered amongst the wasted temple and decimated city walls. They have returned to rebuild. In this scene, the priests stand up on the ruins and shout:
“Stand up! And bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting!”
A great prayer follows, and in it the people cry to God:
“You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the wayside did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst…
“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us…”
Standing Up
Survivor Songs makes the same cry: “you are the God who keeps covenant and steadfast love…do not let all the hardships that have come upon us seem little to you.” These essays and paintings and songs are a way of engaging in a collective “standing up,” where we declare the faithfulness of a God who does not forsake his people. We wrestle and we hope: he didn’t leave the people who came before us. He didn’t leave us. He won’t. He never will.
The things in our lives that are, or have been, broken do not seem little to him.
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
A Thought
These posts are honest about the ramifications of trauma and abuse, including the residual effects that crop up later in a person’s life, and maybe later in a person’s walk of faith. Healing may come in layers. Giving voice to stories–and finding connection within relationship–can break the power of shame and fear, opening doors to healing. Healing can be experienced in both miraculous moments and in life-long journeys, two strands that twine together and find their culmination in eternity.
May the Lord bless you. May he keep you. May he make his face shine upon you. May he be gracious to you. May he turn his countenance toward you. May he give you peace.
Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. (Isaiah 54:4)