Melissa Hurd - Voice of the Broken

The Voice of the Broken

Melissa Hurd

Copyright 2020 MelissaHurd

All rights reserved.

ISBN:978-1-7350735-2-1

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONALVERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

And the God of all Grace, whocalled you to his glory in Christ, after you have suffered a littlewhile, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm andsteadfast.

-- 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the ones who feellike their whole world is in the dark and may believe that theywill never see the light. I didn't write this book for anyone tohear my side of the story. I don't need to prove anything toanyone. Its not just my life I want to shine but also that ofthose who are suffering in the darkness.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to start by thanking God forhelping me through all my troubles, which I couldnt face on myown. He gave me strength when I was weak in dealing with thehorrible situations of my childhood. There were times when I didntwant to continue with life because I couldnt see a purpose. Thankyou, God, for making me stronger when I felt weak.

My son also kept me strong. He gave me apurpose and someone to think about other than myself. My son is nowable to see all the love he deserves, which I often could not seein mine. He has also encouraged me while writing my life story andmade sure I didnt give up. Thank you so much, my son. I love youdearly.

Julie Stolzfoos is a close friend and the wifeof the pastor at Freedom Valley Church. We met years ago and becamefast friends. She was the first person to hear my story. She is mybest friend today because she took everything in and never walkedaway. Julie knows I am not perfect, but she also knows everyone canchange. I love you, Julie. Im thankful for our friendship, thewalks on the battlefield, and Starbucks coffee.

Allen and Theresa Taylor are the ones who hadfaith in my story and decided to publish it. I cannot thank themenough for their hard work. Because of them, I can help othersthrough their bad paths and show them the Light at the end of thetunnel where forgiveness, hope, and faith can be found by Godspromise.

PUBLISHER'S PREFACE

When Melissa Hurd contacted me in February 2020to ask me if I'd edit her book, it prompted me to action on twothings that had been penetrating my spirit for a couple of years.The first was the completion of a testimony I had been trying towrite. The second was the seed of Crux Publications.

Concerning the testimony, I had written thefirst draft, but wasn't satisfied. I immediately went to work torevise it, and I'm glad I did.

The larger project was Crux Publications. Iwanted to start a publishing company that catered to Christianwriters, opening the door to inspiration. Having spent most of mylife studying books, making a living as a writer, and working as aneditor, it was a natural progression. But I had no idea where tobegin. Melissa gave me that place.

"The Voice of the Broken" became our firsttitle. "I Am Not the King" was the second. We were planning a duallaunch party when Pennsylvania shut down and social distancingbecame the norm. Uncertainty set in.

God is sovereign over uncertainty. In JesusChrist, he has defeated all of His enemies, including death.Including uncertainty. Because of Him, we can be certain that Godwill prevail over Satan and that all things work together for thegood of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose(Romans 8:28). There's no uncertainty in that promise.

Traditional publishing is difficult to breakinto. If a writer succeeds, she loses a lot of control over her ownwork. Self-publishing requires some special knowledge and comeswith a steep learning curve. I had obtained that knowledge withprevious publication efforts, so I knew I could help Christianauthors like Melissa see the fruits of their labor welcome thelight of day. That's why I chose a hybrid publishing model for CruxPublications. It gives authors more control over their work withouthaving to undergo the pains of the learning curve.

Many hybrid publishers have sprung up in recentyears with a variety of author royalty structures and a widebreadth of services. Few of them focus solely on Christian authors.Crux Publications does.

As a publisher, we do not adhere to any strictset of doctrines or creeds. We believe in the historic Jesus andask authors to sign a statement of faith that indicates theybelieve in the same Jesus. We leave the rest up to conscience. CruxPublications believes Melissa Hurd has encountered the livingJesus. Therefore, we are proud to count her as one of our authors.Readers who wish to challenge her on her understanding of theologyare encouraged to begin a discussion with her. Contact informationis provided at the end of this book.

On a personal note, we've worked hard to ensure"The Voice of the Broken" is free of misrepresentations.Nevertheless, the story is entirely Melissa's. She lived it, andshe had the final say in every detail.

Crux Publications invites interaction withreaders on our Facebook page and in the comments of The Cruxnewsletter. Both are listed at the back of this book. If you feelblessed by Melissa's story, you can reach out to her directly. I'msure she'd like to hear from you.

Now, without further ado, Crux Publicationpresents "The Voice of the Broken."

Allen Taylor

Publisher

Crux Publications

PROLOGUE

My story begins at the beginning and ends atthe end of my old self. I want to state right up front that Im notpointing fingers or judging anyone. Many of the people Ive metalong the way are family. They are a part of my story. Theyvejoined me in my travels on this earth, for good or bad. Therefore,their presence in my story is warranted.

I believe things may have ended well, but theydidnt always go so well. For much of my life, I ran from God, likeJonah. Sailors threw him overboard their ship and God had a hugefish swallow him for three days and three nights. If I was the oneswallowed by that huge fishand it surely felt like I was, but fora lot longer than three days and nightsI would pray for God toforgive me for choosing to live my life without him. I need him nowmore than ever.

Ive lived my life my way, but I was oftenaware I wasnt on the right path. It felt so dark and confusing.Ive felt out of place and lost, like a child without its mother.It felt like I didnt belong to my parents or sisters and Icouldn't understand why. Why was I in their life if they hated meso much?

If I'd have stood with God, I would not havebeen confused or lived in darkness. Our own choices put us throughthat darkness. But with God, all you see is light. He is able toguide us in the right direction, according to His plan. My ownchoices, and no one else's, separated me from my Father.

I know God protected me in the midst of theexperiences I faced and continue to face, and He is making mestronger in Christ. While many of the deeds recorded here have hurtme, I realize I was doing things to others and hurting them too.Still, I wanted it all to go away. But I realized I had to changemy attitude and turn anger into kindness, because I didnt want tobecome the monster I saw in others. I wanted to show kindness, evento the ones who didnt deserve it. If I had gone out of my way todeliver kindness, I could one day expect that kindness to return tome.

It is because of these truths that I can nowpray:

As of today, I am all yours, Lord! Please guideme in the life you see for me, because I cannot do it without you.As I let go of all the wrongs others have done to me, and the badbehavior I exhibited toward others because of my weakness, You willguide me. Please forgive me as I take hold of your hand again. Iwill hold on tight and pray I never slip away.

The Lord has made me see that I cannot livewithout Him. Through all the abuse, and living my life without Hisguidance, He has made me see how true He was and is.