Bekah – 2014 Graduate

I was raised in a Christian home. I tried my best to be “good” so I could please God and everyone around me. But I often felt compared to my older brother, who was exceptionally gifted, and I thought I could never measure up. I became severely depressed at age 15. I started self-harming to express my feelings and to punish myself. I also decided that since I could never be perfect, I could at least be the best at being bad. So, I started doing drugs and became extremely promiscuous. I was searching for a sense of purpose.

I learned about Mercy through a friend who graduated from the Nashville home in 2010. I started applying then but gave up. I reapplied when I reached a very low point and didn’t know what else to do.

My biggest turning point at Mercy was when I learned that my identity is not in a doctor’s diagnosis; my identity is in Christ alone. Proverbs 23:7 says “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” I refuse to think that I am anything less than who God made me to be.

Because of Mercy, God has set me free from depression and suicidal thoughts. God has taught me who He is, and through that, who I am. God is good, loving and kind. He loves me so much. He created me simply because He wanted a relationship with me. As I have become closer to God, He has changed my desires to come into agreement with His desires for me. I no longer want to hurt myself or numb myself with any sort of substance.

After graduation, I am going back home and plan to start paramedic training in the spring. I also plan to join my local volunteer fire department. I hope to someday marry a Godly man and have a family.

To Mercy’s donors, thank you so much for providing a place where I could be made new.