Dori's Story - There is Hope - KatieHedrick.com

I have some pretty amazing siblings and…

I’m looking forward to sharing some of their stories with you right here on the blog! The first one comes from one of my sisters. I wish you could have seen in person, the transformation that played out in the life of this beautiful young woman, but the story she wrote about it below paints a pretty clear picture…

I’m so thankful Dori was open to sharing her story. I’ll be surprised if you don’t get teary eyed and/or feel the Holy Spirit moving as you read through it. Dori is inspiring, Spirit filled and one of my very best friends. And now… Dori’s story.

If you have ever felt like you are alone, like you don’t belong or like you could never get passed the situations that you have gotten yourself into… Let me tell you – You are not alone. There IS hope and there is freedom on the other side.

I grew up in a loving home. I had (and still have!) amazing parents. I knew bible stories and I believed in God. I knew right from wrong, as most people do. However, in high school I found myself at constant crossroads when making decisions. More times than not, I made the decision that would make me look “cool” or the decision that I was peer pressured into. My very first boyfriend was abusive, physically and mentally, controlling, and just downright awful. That set the foundation of what I thought a relationship should be like. Throughout high school, I tried to find my identity in whatever boy I was dating at the time or in my grades at school. On the outside, I put up a front that I loved who I was, on the inside I felt a deep and dark void that kept getting bigger and bigger.

When it was time for college, together, my parents and I decided that I would apply to a four year Christian University. I was accepted and made plans to move in August of 2012. At first I hated the school. I felt like an outsider and that I did not belong. There seemed to be a sea full of perfect people, and then there was me, a broken person. I didn’t think these people would accept me if they knew who I really was.

I quickly learned that this was my opportunity to share as much or as little about myself as I wanted. So, I told people that I was in a relationship with someone who I was going to marry and I loved my hometown. Those were half-truths. (Aren’t we all so good at half-truths!?) The real truth was my relationship was on the rocks because my boyfriend and I did not trust each other. I liked my hometown because that was comfortable to me, even though I didn’t really like who I was there.

On November 15, 2012 my boyfriend and I had officially broken up and I drove to his town that evening to talk with him. He stood me up, and I ended up driving back to school that same night. I spent the entire 2 hour drive screaming at God at the top of my lungs. That was my rock bottom. I was in a strange place and didn’t feel like I had any true friends there. I was alone and didn’t know how to fix it. I’d lost control and all of my “grand” plans were ruined. When I got back to my dorm room that night, I was completely exhausted from fighting with God. I got on my hands and knees in my dark room put my arms up and completely surrendered. I was done. My life was out of my control. I was too weak, too powerless, too broken to do anything. I needed a savior.

And what a MIGHTY savior is our LORD! At that moment of my complete surrender, I felt an overwhelming peace. I felt his arms wrap around me. I felt the weight of the world lift off of my shoulders. It’s something that seems incomprehensible until you actually experience it for yourself. The days, weeks, and months after my spiritual conversion were not easy. It was territory I had never experienced before. However, I did not have to bear it alone. The Lord provides!

I found comfort on my college campus in a way I had not before. Before I felt like an outsider, now that my eyes were opened, I could see that everyone has a story. Everyone is broken. The Lord blessed me with a dear friend and roommate who was going through a similar situation at the time. Despite both of our states of depression, I was able to watch as she relied on the Lord as her comfort and healer. Together, my friend and I went to a local church where I was able to cultivate many Godly relationships.

It was during these months that I sought out a mentor, who just so happened to be praying for me all along. Little did I know that my sister, Katie Hedrick, had been experiencing her own spiritual growth and had been specifically praying for me. She was just waiting for me to come to her when I was ready. Over months of growing, and learning together, the Lord taught us more about Himself over those months than ever before.

Fast forward 7 years to now. My life is far from perfect, but it is 100 times better than I anticipated. It was a hard journey at times. It was difficult to explain my 180 degree lifestyle change to those who weren’t there to experience it with me. But God knew that it was better for me to have a fresh start in a new place with new people. The funny thing is, now that I have been saved, I tell everyone who will listen about my story. There is so much freedom in sharing who you really are and knowing that God is merciful. You don’t have to carry the burden of hiding things anymore.

All this to say, if you feel like you are alone or an outsider or that you can never be forgiven for things that you have done or thing that have been done you… There is grace! The Lord forgives. You CAN be made new. You CAN be happy.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17. ESV.

”but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” -Isaiah 40:31. NIV.