Spotlight: Kat Melton
My life growing up was full of pain and brokenness. I lived in a home where multiple types of abuse were constant, including verbal and emotional abuse. My father committed suicide when I was 10 months old. It was engrained in me to know how bad of a man he was to my mother and oldest sister, it felt like, every day of my life. I was reminded often of how I wasn’t good enough and how I wouldn’t be anything in life. In addition to the abuse, I grew up in an extremely legalistic religion, where you have to prove yourself to be “good enough” daily. The pressure of my life was too much for me to bear. As young as 10 years old, suicide was on my mind constantly. I was always in planning mode, of how I could end my life. The thought of dying didn’t scare me. My fear was trying, and if somehow, I didn’t succeed, the fear of dealing with the repercussions of my mother was far too much to think about.
There were many times, I would find myself in that mindset that this was it, the pain was just too much. But something always stopped me. I heard a gentle voice say, you are created for greatness. I didn’t understand at that time, but now, I know it was God stopping me. I would find myself on a long journey of trying to sort out the life that I experienced. Between the brainwashing of the religion I grew up in and the constant abuse, it would be an understatement to say, I was pretty messed up.
I didn’t realize how much of a toll the years of this brokenness would bring to my life, even years later. But I found myself married to a wonderful man, who came into my life and the life of my two kids, who showed nothing but love and compassion for me and my kids. I would tell him, he would not want to live in my mind, because the agony and daily fight to try to keep my mind positive was an extreme struggle. I was a new believer in Jesus Christ. My thoughts of suicide turned into wanting to go home with Jesus.
One day, when no one was home, and no one was expected to come home any time soon, I drank alcohol and took a full, tall bottle of hydrocodone tablets that I had left over from a medical procedure. I remember taking the pills and asking Jesus to forgive me for cutting my life short. I don’t remember much after that, except to wake up hours later in a hospital.
That was a start of a journey that led me to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I should have been dead. The time frame and statistics were against me. Since that time, Jesus broke my desire to commit suicide. I opened up to Him and shared my hurt and my heart. He has broken every stronghold that was keeping me bound to a past that needed to be let go of.
I am alive to tell others my story and to share how Jesus changed my life completely. He broke every chain. He has given me freedom from my past, a peace and joy for the now, and a glorious hope for the future. If I were given the opportunity to choose my life over, I would choose the same life I lived, because it led me to Jesus. There is nothing in this world that is more important to me than the life I have walking with the Lord. My life is not perfect, nor do I expect it to be. But I know that when I go through troublesome times, He is there to walk through it with me. Jesus said, "in this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16: 33) We live in a fallen world, that was wrecked with sin. But our God had a redemption plan. He allowed His Son, to die the death we deserve, so you and I could have eternal life with Him. Sin disconnected us form God. But Jesus took the sin of the world on Himself, so we can be reconciled to the Father. He loves you and has invited you to accept Him as Lord of your heart with all sincerity. I couldn’t imagine living my life without Him.
Thank you,
Kat M
There were many times, I would find myself in that mindset that this was it, the pain was just too much. But something always stopped me. I heard a gentle voice say, you are created for greatness. I didn’t understand at that time, but now, I know it was God stopping me. I would find myself on a long journey of trying to sort out the life that I experienced. Between the brainwashing of the religion I grew up in and the constant abuse, it would be an understatement to say, I was pretty messed up.
I didn’t realize how much of a toll the years of this brokenness would bring to my life, even years later. But I found myself married to a wonderful man, who came into my life and the life of my two kids, who showed nothing but love and compassion for me and my kids. I would tell him, he would not want to live in my mind, because the agony and daily fight to try to keep my mind positive was an extreme struggle. I was a new believer in Jesus Christ. My thoughts of suicide turned into wanting to go home with Jesus.
One day, when no one was home, and no one was expected to come home any time soon, I drank alcohol and took a full, tall bottle of hydrocodone tablets that I had left over from a medical procedure. I remember taking the pills and asking Jesus to forgive me for cutting my life short. I don’t remember much after that, except to wake up hours later in a hospital.
That was a start of a journey that led me to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I should have been dead. The time frame and statistics were against me. Since that time, Jesus broke my desire to commit suicide. I opened up to Him and shared my hurt and my heart. He has broken every stronghold that was keeping me bound to a past that needed to be let go of.
I am alive to tell others my story and to share how Jesus changed my life completely. He broke every chain. He has given me freedom from my past, a peace and joy for the now, and a glorious hope for the future. If I were given the opportunity to choose my life over, I would choose the same life I lived, because it led me to Jesus. There is nothing in this world that is more important to me than the life I have walking with the Lord. My life is not perfect, nor do I expect it to be. But I know that when I go through troublesome times, He is there to walk through it with me. Jesus said, "in this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16: 33) We live in a fallen world, that was wrecked with sin. But our God had a redemption plan. He allowed His Son, to die the death we deserve, so you and I could have eternal life with Him. Sin disconnected us form God. But Jesus took the sin of the world on Himself, so we can be reconciled to the Father. He loves you and has invited you to accept Him as Lord of your heart with all sincerity. I couldn’t imagine living my life without Him.
Thank you,
Kat M