I have given away so much of myself that at one point…

I couldn’t even recognize my own face in the mirror.

I would stare…blank.

Who is this woman with tired eyes and a soul that barely breathes?

My chest would tighten. I couldn’t inhale deeply.

I was alive, but not living.

Dead behind the eyes, still performing. Still giving.

All I knew was this:

I had to get under the covering of the true and living God, because He was the only thing keeping me alive.

In this season, God is leading me to rediscover what I love.

He is pulling me gently out of the shadows of the occult and trauma, not just back into church, but back into me.

I had many passions. Many gifts.

But somewhere along the way, when I lost my identity, I lost those, too. I was tangled in submission that wasn’t godly…

Drowning in servitude that wasn’t kingdom…

And silenced by voices louder than the Holy Spirit.

But God, in His mercy, is awakening my joy again.

Not just in ministry, but in life. Outside the pulpit. Beyond the platform. He’s helping me find me again.

This year, I made a new commitment:

To feed my soul, not just my responsibilities.

And part of that was letting God speak to me through books.

Each one was a mirror, a balm, a challenge, and a promise.

These weren’t just reads, they were revelations.

Some stirred old pain.

Some whispered healing.

And others gave me the boldness to tell my truth.

Books That Shifted My Soul:

The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga

This book helped me reframe how I see rejection, boundaries, and emotional freedom.

It taught me that freedom often looks like being misunderstood, and that’s okay.

God Will Use This for Good – Max Lucado

A short and necessary reminder that nothing is wasted.

He will use every betrayal and heartbreak.

The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible – Mary E. DeMuth

I saw myself in these pages.

Overlooked. Misjudged. Silenced.

This reminded me that God redeems the ones culture cancels.

Forgiving What You Can’t Forget – Lysa TerKeurst

Whew.

This one pierced deep.

It gave me permission to grieve while still healing, and showed me how to release what I never received.

Living From a Place of Surrender – Michael A. Singer

This book was soul surgery.

It showed me that surrender isn’t weakness, it’s sacred power.

It Didn’t Start with You – Mark Wolynn

I finally understood why I carried pain that didn’t belong to me.

This opened the door to generational healing.

Mantled for Greatness – Joshua Giles & Cindy Trimm

A reminder that being mantled isn’t glamorous.

It’s heavy. It’s divine.

And if God called me to it, He will equip me for it.

You Gotta Get Up – Kimberly Jones (Real Talk Kim)

This book shook the sleep off my spirit.

It reminded me that God doesn’t need me to be perfect, just present.

Operating in the Courts of Heaven – Robert Henderson

This taught me to pray with strategy, not just emotion.

To petition Heaven with boldness and spiritual legality.

Emotional Intelligence: Analyze People & Raise Your IQ – Various Authors

A practical gift.

This gave me language for patterns, discernment for deception, and insight for protecting my peace.

To the One Rediscovering Themselves…

You are not too far gone.

You are not too lost.

You are not too broken.

God isn’t just restoring your soul, He’s restoring your joy, your creativity, your laughter, and your voice. This rediscovery journey may not start on a stage. It may start in a journal. In therapy.

At a bookstore. On your knees in silence. Or over coffee with your true self for the first time in years. Wherever it starts, let it begin.

Let God walk you out of the wilderness and back into YOU.

Let Us Pray:

God,

Thank You for being the One who never loses track of who we are.

Even when we forget, You remember. Even when we let go, You hold on. Breathe life back into the places that have gone numb. Restore passions, dreams, and callings that were buried under abuse, performance, and pain. And for every woman rediscovering who she is, remind her that she has always been Yours.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blog: strengthofawomanblog.com

YouTube: @iAmAdonaka

Email: [email protected]