A Life Worth Living

Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:7-8

Mariama's Hope*

For 35 years, Mariama was trapped in a downward spiral of vulnerability. As a young child, caretakers exploited and abused her, causing her to internalize shame and guilt. Mariama retreated from her peers. She stopped socializing and caring about school. She isolated herself from anyone who could possibly hurt her until she eventually believed her life was not worth living. 

At age 35, after years of trauma, Mariama attempted to take her own life. After being found, still breathing, she was rushed to the hospital where she fought with the doctors, begging them to let her die. 

Trapped in a hospital bed, in the midst of desperation, Mariama met a RiverCross trainer. They began discussing Mariama's trauma, and for the first time, she had the opportunity to process all that she'd endured. Week after week, the RiverCross trainer met with Mariama. They listened to the audio dramas and discussed both the characters and their own lives. 

Mariama progressed until she was no longer a threat to her own life - a life that she'd come to value as a tool for reaching others with the story of hope, all while laying in a hospital bed. Eventually, doctors discharged her from the hospital and today Mariama leads a Freedom Club of her own, showing special care for children struggling with depression. 

*Although the stories we share are true, some identifying details have been changed.