There are moments in life when stress, pain, and disappointment push us to what feels like rock bottom. For years, I thought of those places as failure—evidence that I wasn’t strong enough. But one day, in my darkest season, a quote came to me:

“My rock bottom is not my defeat; it’s a piece of the puzzle in the masterpiece being created.”

This realization became a turning point. It reminded me that even at my lowest, something meaningful was still being built.

The Rollercoaster of Life

Life has never been a straight path for me—it’s been a rollercoaster of ups, downs, twists, and sudden drops. Most times, I was able to dust myself off, stand tall, and keep moving forward. But there came a time when I could not.

The exhaustion was overwhelming. I lost focus, couldn’t concentrate, and struggled to bring myself back into “full-functioning mode.” I cried for days, slipped into depression, and eventually needed medication. And that’s when I realized—sometimes strength means acknowledging you need help.

The Book That Spoke to My Pain

In that season, a co-worker introduced me to Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa TerKeurst. That book resonated deeply with me.

One line I underlined over and over said:

“The things marking us from yesterday are still part of the making of us today.”

I realized that rock bottom was not just about survival—it was shaping me into who I was meant to become.

Silence Doesn’t Mean Peace

Lysa also wrote that sometimes the quietest people are the ones in the most pain. That struck me hard. I’ve often gone silent, not because I didn’t care, but because my pain didn’t know how to speak. Silence can be a scream without sound.

For me, silence has often been the place where I sit with my wounds, trying to process feelings that words cannot capture.

Collect, Connect, Correct

One of the most powerful lessons from the book was the process of:

• Collect the dots – Acknowledge the hurts, the events, the traumas.
• Connect the dots – See how they influenced your thoughts, emotions, and actions.
• Correct the dots – Choose forgiveness, healing, and a different path forward.

This doesn’t erase the past, but it reframes it. It allows us to carry lessons as souvenirs instead of chains.

Finding Purpose in the Pain

I’ve learned that life can be unassuming, and sometimes the lessons come when we least expect them. Broken hearts don’t always mean we are defeated—they mean we have loved deeply. Cracks in our foundation don’t always mean collapse—they can also let the light in.

The people who hurt us may not always know the depth of their impact, but forgiveness is not about excusing them—it’s about freeing ourselves. Healing transforms scars into stories of survival and proof of strength.

The Masterpiece in Progress

Rock bottom is not defeat. It’s a teacher. It’s a builder. It’s a reminder that we are still being shaped into something greater.

If you’re reading this and feel like you’re at the end of your rope, know this:

You are not broken beyond repair. You are not alone. You are still becoming.

Keep standing. Keep healing. Keep becoming.