Archive of ‘Your Story’ category

Married and Experiencing Pain During Sexual Intercourse?

/ Freedom From Sexual Sin & Shame, Healing, Marriage, My Guest Posts, Your Story / Comments Off on Married and Experiencing Pain During Sexual Intercourse?

Having Painful Sex Emotional healing from naïve expectations

Experiencing sexual pain during intercourse? You are not alone.  Nearly three out of four women have pain during intercourse at some time during their lives. For some women, the pain lasts only for a time; for twenty to fifty percent of these women, the pain remains over time.

My story includes sexual pain. I share my story FIRST to give women the gift of going SECOND. I share my story to bring women FREEDOM.

Check out my new article on Fathom Mag, “Having Painful Sex: Emotional healing from naïve expectations.”

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When God Uses Broken People

/ Your Story / 2 Comments

Is there hope that God will use broken people for his glory? Matthew West believes God uses broken people. Do you? Do you believe God will use you and your brokenness for His glory?

What does it mean to bring God glory? When God uses your brokenness, other people will see God through your life story and you get to give God the credit for your life change. Would I have ever been able to find freedom from sexual abuse without God? No. Would I have found freedom from sexual addiction? No. This freedom is from God. My story of freedom only exists because of God’s work in my life. When I share my brokenness, when I share my story with others, God gets the glory. God gets the credit. He is the one that did the good work in me. (more…)

Joy & Zack’s Love Story

/ Love, Marriage, Your Story / 3 Comments

If you’ve wondered where I’ve been these last few months, I was planning a wedding and marrying this godly man! Now, I’m trying to figure out how to manage work, blogging, seminary, friends and family. My heart continues to desire for women to find freedom in Christ, thus the blog will continue.

My dear blogging friends, I wanted to share with you two videos. The first video is our personal testimonies and our love story and the second is from our wedding. Enjoy!

Will God use my story in a powerful way?

/ Rape, Sexual Abuse, The Journey, Your Story / 1 Comment

Our stories are powerful _ JoyPedrow.com

Do you believe that your story is powerful?

Maybe you were saved at a young age and you fear your story isn’t as powerful as others. Or maybe just like me, you struggle believing that God could use your broken past for his good. I want to share with you that no matter your story, it’s powerful.

My story began in college when Christ softened my heart through a horrible experience. God had been pursuing me all my life, but it wasn’t until college that I finally realized my need for a Savior.

During my freshman year of college, on day three, I was date raped. I became depressed, I lived in shame, and I hated my life. But God pursued me. God used rape to bring me to my knees and allow me to see my need for a Savior. That year I was beginning to experience a love that I had never felt. My freshman year of college I became a follower of Christ, but it would take years for me to start sharing my story with other women.

At the end of this post, I will share with you one example of how God used my story in a powerful way. For now, I want to dive into a passage that talks about how our stories are powerful. (more…)

Dating Is Not Fully Satisfying

/ Christian Dating, Love, Singleness, Singleness & Dating, Surrender Life to Jesus, Your Story / 3 Comments

Yes, dating is amazing and fun. Yes I love it. But it’s not fully satisfying. We can’t live life hoping to find our satisfaction in our relationship status.

You’re single – you want to be dating. You’re dating – you want to be married. You’re married – you want kids. You have kids – you want more free time. You have free time – you want more to do.

Do you get what I’m saying?

I’ve met countless women in all stages of relationships and none have told me that the status she is in has left her fully satisfied. I have a married friend who has struggled with infertility. She tells me she often cries out to God in pain. Her husband tries to be there for her and comfort her, but she said his comfort is never enough. (more…)

Singleness: When Patience Seems Impossible

/ Love, Singleness, Singleness & Dating, Your Story / 7 Comments

“What if I lack patience and want a guy now?” asked a reader. Girl, I understand. I’m impatient. I don’t like waiting. I’m a planner and I have a beautiful plan for how I want my life to go. In my mind, this plan is perfect. We have to remember, our plans may not be God’s plans. We cannot let our marital status dominate our thinking and focus.

When our lives aren’t going according to our plans – we ask God, “Why won’t you do things our way for a change?” I thought I would find my husband in college and get married after graduation. God’s plans did not align with my plans. We expect God to love our plan even when we reject his. Have you rejected God’s plan and decided that your plan is better? (more…)

How to Find God’s Will in Who to Date

/ Christian Dating, Grace, Singleness & Dating, Your Story / 25 Comments

Last month, I lived in anxiety wondering how in the world do I know if this is the man God wants me to date? I was paralyzed with uncertainties. I had met a man who loved Jesus, but did that mean we should date? I was uncertain if God was opening a door or if our meeting in an elevator was just a random occurrence. I was certain of one thing – I wanted to follow God’s will in this decision. Let’s be honest, figuring out God’s will in who to date seems daunting. How do we really know God’s will in who to date? (more…)

The Beauty of Rebellion

/ Devotional, Freedom From Sexual Sin & Shame, How to Know God Personally, Relationship with Jesus, Surrender Life to Jesus, Your Story / 1 Comment

There is beauty in rebellion. When I first started living my life for God, I felt the weight of shame from my past of rebellion. I hated myself and the sins of my past. It took a few years for me to begin to break free from this shame and begin to experience the beauty of rebellion. I’m praying that you will experience the beauty of rebellion and the freedom that comes through Christ. xoxo Joy (more…)

How to Respectfully Share Your Faith

/ How to Share Your Faith, Your Story / 7 Comments

Q: “How do I respectfully evangelize? Is it wrong to talk about God around people who don’t believe in him? How can I share my faith without fear?”

A: Any time a controversial topic is brought up, lines are drawn and sides are immediately chosen. Since a lot of us tend to struggle with desiring the approval of others, challenges arise during discussions because we want to avoid conflict and confrontation. We fear sharing our beliefs because we don’t want to offend someone or even lose a friend.

What if she stops talking to me? What if he ends up hating me? What if it ruins our friendship? What if she asks a question that I’m not sure how to answer?

All of the above has previously stopped me from sharing my faith with friends and family, but this doesn’t have to always happen. We can share our faith respectfully and without fear. (more…)

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