Hurt can change you. Betrayal can mark you in a place no one else can see. There are wounds that don’t come from strangers, but by people you trusted. Prayed with. Believed in. When that kind of pain happens, it shakes more than your heart. It shakes your understanding of love, loyalty, and even faith. I’ve wrestled with the “WHY” I’ve sat in the confusion of doing right and still being hurt. I’ve cried over moments that felt unfair and undeserved. And yet… here I am.

What I’ve learned is that pain doesn’t cancel GOD’S presence. And betrayal doesn’t negate HIS purpose. Some blessings don’t arrive wrapped in joy, they come disguised as heartbreak. Through hurt, GOD revealed what needed to be exposed. Through betrayal, he removed what could not come with me. Through disappointment, he redirected my steps toward something purer, safer, and more aligned.

I didn’t see it in the moment, I only felt the loss. But now I see the PROTECTION, CLARITY AND THE GROWTH. I see how GOD held me when I felt abandoned. How HE strengthened me when I felt broken. How HE reminded me that my worth was never tied to how others treated me. There were moments when rejoicing felt impossible. When praise felt heavy on my lips. But rejoicing isn’t pretending the pain didn’t happen. It’s choosing to trust that GOD was still working while it did.

I REJOICE because what tried to break me didn’t. I REJOICE because I walked away with my heart intact and my faith deeper. I REJOICE because GOD didn’t waste one tear, one prayer, or one painful lesson. The hurt is real. The betrayal is real. But so is the blessing. And today, I don’t rejoice despite what I am going through, I REJOICE because GOD is carrying me through it.