Trading Shame for Beauty
“My healing didn’t happen overnight—it happened through grace, community, and the willingness to face my story with open hands.”
Hi, I’m Tiffany.
I’ve been married to my husband David for 28 years, and together we’ve weathered seasons that stretched us, humbled us, and ultimately led us closer to Jesus.
I work in Human Resources in Crawfordville, Florida, but my world is filled with so much more than policies and paperwork. I’m a proud dog mom to Shazier, an FSU football fan who can shout at the TV with the best of them, and someone who finds peace in the simple, quiet things—cross stitching, long walks on the beach, watching the waves settle my spirit, and digging deep into God’s Word. I love studying Scripture and teaching it, not because I have it all figured out, but because Jesus has met me so personally in my own messy, beautiful journey.
My story begins…
at the age of 21. I was a youth leader at a church in Tallahassee and I was pregnant. I believed the culture around me which said that I had a right to do as I wished with my body and so, I made a choice to have an abortion.
I thought my life would get back to normal, problem solved right? Wrong. I traded a child for shame, guilt, and a deep sense of unworthiness.
The aftermath..
I was asked to step down from my leadership role at church, and in that moment I felt like a disappointment to everyone around me. In my hurt, I grew angry with God—not at His existence, but at His involvement in my life. I didn’t want a relationship anymore. I decided I would be the one calling the shots, and if God wanted to come along, He could ride in the passenger seat.
Years later, I learned I had endometriosis, and my early years of marriage were marked by heartbreak as we tried again and again to conceive without success.
Each failed attempt felt like confirmation that I was a failure, and the depression that followed pulled me into a dark place. I remember driving home from work, scanning the trees and trying to choose the one I could drive into—anything to escape the pain, shame, and grief that swallowed me. The enemy had convinced me I was being punished for my past, and for years I ran from God, searching for joy anywhere but in Him.
“As many of us do, I finally grew tired of fighting God...”
I admitted to him I was sinner who could no longer handle my life; I need him to take over. I agreed to step aside and let him guide me. Slowly, I began to seek a relationship with him, and I felt him direct my feet, step by step.
He placed a church with giving and compassionate people in my path.
He led me to Christian friends who loved me and accepted me.
He placed a pastor in my life who spoke forgiveness over me not judgment.
He placed my feet in Ecuador for two years, where I learned I could serve him.
Then, he showed me the biggest step of all, getting involved with a pregnancy center.
I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot of the center thinking, God, are you sure? How could I be involved in the ministry of crisis pregnancy after what I had done? Could I, a sinner serve in the very mission field where I failed all those years ago?
As crazy as it sounded to me God continued to lead me in that direction. I knew enough about God to know he was not going to rest until I knelt in his will.
Through the center I participated in a bible study for post-abortion healing. It changed my life and tied three women to my heart forever.
Alongside these women, broken by abortion we read the bible, prayed, admitted our sins, cried and found true forgiveness. I now understood God’s sacrifice. I felt him heal the wounds guilt and shame left on my heart with the blood of his son, Jesus. I am loved, forgiven and no longer chained to my sin. I am free to serve him in the only way I know how, helping heal the hearts of those still dealing with the pain of their abortion.
“Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered in shame.”
-Psalm 34:5
What would you tell someone walking through something similar?
He calls us to use the burdens we have carried to help others who come behind us. However, we have to allow God to free us from the things that bind us. To be his vessel we must be empty of that sin.
The journey to move from bondage to freedom is difficult and painful but God promises to be with us for every step and luckily for me each tear. Whatever bondage holds you today I pray you will allow God to heal you. He will not give up on you. He will continue to pursue you. He delights in turning our ashes of sin into the beauty of service to his kingdom.
My healing didn’t happen overnight—it happened through grace, community, and the willingness to face my story with open hands.
My church family wrapped me in love when I finally shared my struggle, offering a place where I could be honest without judgment.
I leave you with 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. What a wonderful God we have, he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us.
Recommended resources from Tiffany:
I found immense healing in a post-abortion Bible study, surrounded by women who had walked the same painful road I had. Their bravery, vulnerability, and understanding helped me realize I wasn’t alone, and that God’s redemption truly reaches the deepest places. A big part of my journey was being willing to do the work—to sit with hard truths, to allow God to soften areas I had kept hidden, and to ask for forgiveness from those who were part of my life at the time of my abortion. It wasn’t easy, but each step brought freedom. Through community, Scripture, and surrender, God led me from shame to peace, and from silence to healing.
