Issue 2 | 2023

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WHY NOT YOU? THE STORY OF SIMONE BRYANT I recognized the presence of God early in my life. I remember being at church as young as four, dancing around the sanctuary and praising God. Joy and peace filled my little frame as I jumped up and down, shouting His name. I loved being at church and around God’s people, and I loved God. Even so, I couldn’t imagine that God could love me. He was so big, and I felt so small. What did I possibly have to offer God? I was a nobody. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t insecure. My low self-esteem was a byproduct of childhood events. I was six when my older brother, Simon, and I were taken from our mother’s care and placed in a foster home. My father has never been in my life. Mom had a mental disease that prevented her from properly caring for her seven kids. My other three older brothers and two younger sisters were also removed but placed in different homes. The foster-care system wasn’t kind to any of us. The absence of parents and siblings wounded my heart and mind. I felt abandoned, alone, rejected, and unwanted. I remember looking out the window of my foster home and wondering what my life would be like. Who would I become? Would my life always be this way? Would I ever get to be a somebody in this world? These were heavy concerns for a six-year-old, but I knew my future was bleak even at that age. I was a poor little girl without a family—what hope did I have? I would watch parents picking up their kids after school and imagine their lives. I envisioned them talking about school and then stopping for an afternoon treat before heading home. I longed for a family and a place to call home. As a foster child, my time in any one place was temporary. It always felt like I was borrowing someone else’s family because there always came a day when I had to give it all back. When I was nine, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services decided to separate Simon and me, but a kind social worker named Mrs. Edna made it her mission to keep us together. She located an aunt and uncle in North Carolina and told them our situation; they welcomed us into their home. PHOTO BY GERI SIMPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY 30 Issue 02 / 2023 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
In North Carolina, I continued to attend church. I gave my life to the Lord; God was my best friend. I shared everything with Him. My aunt and uncle provided well for my brother and me. But even in a home with relatives, I still felt like a stranger. I imagined I was a burden. “Nobody wants you, Si mone. You’re weird.” That theme played constantly through my mind. Satan had convinced me that I didn’t belong anywhere. I felt disconnected from people and assumed those around me merely tolerated my presence. Satan used every rejection, especially by peers in the church, to cement the idea that I was an outcast, that I had nothing of value to say or give to this world. For most of my teenage years, I cycled in and out of depression. Mental health wasn’t discussed like it is today, so I didn’t know how to manage those dark seasons. My survival instinct was to isolate. Year after year, I put a smile on my face and went through the motions of life. I hid my wounds and told no one how I felt. Who would want to listen to me anyway? I didn’t know that those childhood events—being taken from my mother and siblings, growing up without a father, being shifted around and seeing vile things in the foster-care system—had created wounds that needed to be addressed. Nor did I know that God wanted to heal my broken heart. In 2013, I graduated high school and began my studies at Campbell University. I wanted to become a social worker and help children in the foster- care system like Mrs. Edna had helped Simon and me. A year later, I transferred to East Carolina University, where I eventually graduated with a bachelor of arts and a master’s degree in social work. I became a licensed clinical social worker and started working with children in crisis. But I was not prepared for what providing intervention services would do to my heart. Seeing kids being removed from their homes and shuffled around in the system took me on an unexpected collision course with my past. The wounds and emotions that I had suppressed for years were dredged to the surface. I attempted to push through those dark emotions as I’d always done, but the weight of the pain took me down. I had a nervous breakdown and had to leave my job. It was the best thing that could have happened, though, because I finally realized my need for help. With support from my husband, I started seeing a Christian counselor to confront the scars of my past. Three years later, I met Ms. Renee, a powerful woman of God, and I asked her to be my mentor. She helped me wade through my pain. Together, we uncovered why I felt so unwanted, I AM ENOUGH IN GOD’S EYES, AND ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, NOTHING I CAN DO WILL CHANGE HIS MIND. Right: As a child, Simone hid her pain behind a big smile. Far right: Simone and her brother, Simon, grew up together through the generosity of family members. unworthy, anxious, and depressed. She also helped me discover the truth about how God thinks about me. That was a game-changer. It turns out that God is particularly close to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). David, in Psalm 68:5–6, tells us God is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, that He sets the lonely in families, and leads prisoners out of their captivity. God knew every disappointment I had ever faced, and He cared about how each one had impacted me. He sent His Son, Jesus, to bind my wounds and set me free from the effects of my sin and the world’s sin. (See Isaiah 53:4–6.) He cares for you in the same way. God never intended me to experience painful events like growing up without a father or having a mentally ill mother. Those were Satan’s desires. Satan’s purpose has always been to kill, steal, and destroy me and to cause me to see myself through the lying lens of “I’m not enough.” But Satan is a liar (John 8:44). With time, I have discovered and accepted my identity as the daughter of the King. I know that I am enough in God’s eyes, and according to the Bible, nothing I can do will change His mind about that. My acceptance into His family does not depend on my performance. No amount of worldly accolades, degrees, or titles will bring additional value to me because I have been valued by God since the day I was born. I am God’s daughter, forever. He has chosen me and adopted me into His family, and everything VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM Issue 02 / 2023 31
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE 2, APRIL 2023 “All these bl
Page 5 and 6: ISSUE 2, APRIL 2023 CONTENTS STEPPI
Page 7 and 8: Through the stories of Victorious L
Page 9 and 10: STEPPING FORWARD GOD’S PERFECT GI
Page 11 and 12: TRANSFORMED LIVES Right: Leaving he
Page 13 and 14: I couldn’t move past this verse.
Page 15 and 16: STEPPING FORWARD TIME FOR AN EYE EX
Page 17 and 18: PHOTO BY GERI SIMPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY
Page 19 and 20: a vengeance. I’d learned much ove
Page 21 and 22: STEPPING FORWARD Let Your Revelatio
Page 23 and 24: Phoenix, Arizona. I would need ever
Page 25 and 26: STEPPING FORWARD fulfill his purpos
Page 27 and 28: for every step. In fact, God told M
Page 29: TRANSFORMED LIVES I ENVISION IT AS
Page 33 and 34: WANT TO KNOW JESUS? “Come to me,

Issue 2 | 2023

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