Broken to be blessed

Broken homes with broken families often lead to delinquent children, who grow up to be even more damaged adults. However, the power of Christ is known to cancel stigma and provide everlasting redemption.

Rozanne Comrie bears testament to the redeeming power when she reflects on how her life could have turned out, based on how it was when she was younger.

Having had to be a part of numerous homes while authorities tried to locate her parents who were separated, the then pre-teen girl had to mother her siblings.

"Growing up in a broken home which lead me to being a part of the children services system - homeless, hungry and being abused numerous times - I had to fight for survival as a child, not knowing yet that there was purpose on my life. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Moving from one children's home to another, trying to adapt to the different family backgrounds, there were persons attempting to abuse or take advantage of me. But God was always there with me throughout my worst experiences," Comrie said.

 

REPEATED ABUSE

 

She told Family and Religion that it was between the ages of nine and 13 that she was repeatedly abused by someone close to her at the time.

By her late teens, Comrie was a rebellious youngster who developed the habits of drinking and smoking, later becoming pregnant and unable to graduate from high school. She was placed in a women's centre where she worked her way to being enrolled at the Heart College of Cosmetology.

But it was when she found God that she knew she had to change, not only her lifestyle, but also her way of thinking.

"Overcoming abuse by first learning to forgive was hard, but I was able to turn my story into a message of hope to empower young women, teenagers, parents, and even men who have been through abuse in their lives. I was able to take my mess and turn it into a message.

Growing up, I always wanted to become a model or a nurse," she said, adding that, at the time, she had no idea that God had her in the moulding process to use her story to inspire others one day.

 

FIRST BOOK

 

Today, the 35-year-old reformed woman of God is the proud mother of three boys. She is a blogger, speaker and an aspiring entrepreneur, who is currently looking to publish her first book next month.

Broken to be Blessed: Discovering Hope in the Midst of Brokenness, as Comrie's book is called, is aimed at helping other victims of abuse overcome their many challenges.

"Proverbs 31:8-9 speaks about being a voice for the voiceless. My aim is to start a ministry from this book, becoming a voice for the voiceless. I have reached a point in my life where God wants me to break the silence and be a voice for each child or adult who is afraid to speak out.

I have now committed my life to serving God full-time and plan to use my story to win souls for God's kingdom because through all my trials, God held my hands," she said, adding that her life experiences have led her to value family more and even form a more closer bond with her siblings.