Author: Mandisa
Submitted: February 24, 2022
Tell us a little about yourself. I'm a Christ Representer, American Idol Season 5 Loser, Grammy, Dove, & KLOVE Fan Award Winner and I'm defined by none of these things! I'm passionate about faith, health and wellness, and mental health. And...I'm a die-hard football fan (GO TITANS), and consider NFL season the most wonderful time of the year!
What was your motivation behind this project? Out of the Dark is a huge piece of me and, to be honest, I feel very vulnerable sharing in such detail. So many of you have been a part of my journey and I know that I'm not alone in the struggles I've faced. Just like me, you may have struggled with the pain of grief and loss, surviving abuse or even coping with depression.
It isn't always easy to trust God through the pain, but every day I make it my aim to. In my darkest moments, He was the only light I could see. My choice to trust Him overcame my need to understand why bad things sometimes happen, and it also helped me to embrace the joy and freedom that He freely gives us. Anxiety is a real thing. Depression is a real thing. Emotional pain is a real thing. But we can overcome.
Out of the Dark is my story. Real, honest and vulnerable.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I wrote this for anyone who has found themselves in a dark place as the result of grief, depression, or even loss. If that's you, I assure you that even when you're walking through dark valleys, God can lead you on a path to joy and hope.
I hope readers see that our choice to trust God can not only overcome our need to understand why bad things happen but can help us to embrace a life of joy and freedom.
I hope this book challenges us all to focus on God's purpose for our lives, surround ourselves with friends who will fight for us, and face life's challenges with courage and faith.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? To be completely honest, I struggled even while writing this book. Seeing how God has faithfully led me from the day I was born up until now has been encouraging, but revisiting my darkest moments was really heavy. So many of those things still hurt deeply. I have been tempted to walk away from this showing my scars and telling my scar story. I have even wondered if I'm qualified for others to learn from and follow. I'm not some Christian success story. (But when you look at scripture, neither were Abraham, Moses, or David, so I guess I'm in good company!)
Here's why I've persevered: This is God's story. It's the story of how God broke into my life when I was sixteen years old and changed everything. It's the story of how He lovingly pursued me at times when I was walking away from Him. It's the story of how He gently guided me every step of the way and gave me opportunities I never could have imagined. It's the story of how He used people to come around me and be instruments of His love and grace, declaring truth over me and not allowing me to stay in the pit.
It's not a story about Mandisa, really. It's a story about a big God who has changed one woman's life in un- believable ways. He's taken my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He's made me a worshipper.
