There was a time when I thought strength meant never breaking — that to be “brave” was to smile through the pain, to keep moving when my legs were trembling, to hold it all together so no one would see me fall apart. But the truth is, bravery often begins in the collapse — in the sob you can’t swallow, the prayer whispered through clenched teeth, the moment you realize the mask is heavier than the wound.
I didn’t write Brave in Broken Places from a mountaintop; I wrote it from the rubble. It was birthed in nights of loneliness as a single mother, in mornings when grief still sat beside my bed, in years when faith felt like a flickering candle rather than a roaring flame. This book is not a polished success story — it’s a survival manual. It’s a love letter to the broken-hearted, the overlooked, the ones rebuilding from the ashes of what they thought life would be.
When I first started journaling my experiences, I wasn’t thinking about publishing. I was simply trying to make sense of the chaos — to trace God’s fingerprints through the pain. But as the pages filled, I realized my story wasn’t just mine; it was a mirror for women who had walked through storms of their own. Women who had been brave without applause. Women whose healing began the moment they stopped pretending they didn’t need it.
Brave in Broken Places was born out of a decade of lessons — some learned in silence, others in surrender. It carries pieces of my testimony: childhood trauma, heartbreak, single motherhood, rediscovering my voice, and rebuilding faith. Every chapter is a stone laid on the path back to wholeness.
This introduction isn’t an invitation to perfection; it’s a call to presence. To show up, scars and all, and believe that even here — especially here — grace still builds.
The Journey Behind the Title — What It Really Means to Be Brave
When I chose the title Brave in Broken Places, I didn’t pick it because it sounded catchy or poetic. I chose it because it described the very space I was living in — that tension between courage and collapse, faith and fatigue, victory and vulnerability. Being brave in broken places means showing up for life when everything in you wants to hide. It’s trusting God when your trust has been betrayed. It’s believing in tomorrow when today has left you trembling.
For years, I misunderstood bravery. I thought bravery meant walking through life untouched — strong, unshaken, unscarred. But life — and God — taught me something deeper: bravery is not about avoiding the breaking. It’s about believing there’s beauty after it.
Bravery is the single mother who wakes up before dawn, not because she has the strength, but because love pulls her out of bed. It’s the child who forgives the parent who never apologized. It’s the woman who’s been talked about, walked away from, left with nothing but her prayers — and still chooses to stand.
There were seasons when I didn’t feel brave. When I cried in silence so no one would know how heavy the load really was. When I was rebuilding my life with nothing but fragments — faith, hope, and a will that refused to die. But those seasons taught me that the cracks in my story weren’t signs of failure; they were proof of survival.
God showed me that the same hands that allow breaking are the ones that rebuild. He doesn’t waste pain — He repurposes it. And every scar becomes a sentence in a bigger story — one that whispers to the world, “I’ve been through something, but I’m still here.”
That’s what Brave in Broken Places is about — not pretending you’re okay, but finding God in the places you’re not. Not silencing your story, but letting your healing speak louder than your hurt. Not covering your scars, but wearing them as reminders that you made it through what was meant to destroy you.
So when readers hold this book, I want them to feel seen. I want them to know that being brave doesn’t mean being fearless — it means walking with faith even when your knees shake.
Because the truth is — bravery doesn’t bloom in comfort; it’s born in chaos. And every chapter of your life that broke you is also proof that you’re stronger than you thought, wiser than you were, and more loved than you ever imagined.
Lessons from the Journey — What God Taught Me in the Breaking
Every scar in my story carries a sermon. The cracks I once tried to hide turned into classrooms where God Himself became the teacher. In the middle of the breaking, I learned truths no textbook could offer — lessons etched in tears, strengthened by faith, and sealed with grace.
1. Broken Doesn’t Mean Finished
There were days I mistook shattered for done.
But God reminded me that a life can be in pieces and still be in progress.
He builds masterpieces out of fragments — and sometimes the only way He can reach the hidden parts of us is to let the shell fall away.
Now, when something breaks, I ask: What is He making room for?
Because endings often sound like new beginnings in disguise.
2. Healing Is Slow — and That’s Holy
I used to sprint toward recovery, desperate to “get over it.”
But healing isn’t a race; it’s a rhythm.
Some days you’ll soar. Some days you’ll crawl. Both count.
God showed me that the waiting room is not wasted time — it’s where roots grow.
So if your process feels slow, remember: even miracles take time to manifest.
3. Faith Isn’t a Feeling — It’s a Decision
There were mornings my emotions screamed quit, but my spirit whispered try again.
Faith isn’t the absence of fear; it’s choosing trust while fear still trembles beside you.
I learned to worship with wet cheeks, to praise between paychecks, to believe before the breakthrough.
Real faith keeps its eyes on the Promise-Keeper, not the problem.
4. Forgiveness Frees the Healer
Unforgiveness felt like control — until I realized it was captivity.
The more I held on, the heavier the load became.
When I finally released those who wounded me, I didn’t set them free — I set me free.
God can’t fill clenched fists; He pours into open hands.
Forgiveness didn’t erase the memory, but it removed the sting and made room for joy.
5. Purpose Grows in Pain
Nothing in my story is wasted — not a single tear, not a single trial.
Every disappointment became direction, every setback a setup.
Out of the rubble, God birthed Brave in Broken Places — proof that purpose often sprouts in soil watered by sorrow.
If you’re standing in ruins today, don’t curse the ground; plant something. Faith still grows here.
These lessons turned my wounds into wisdom. And that’s the heartbeat of this book — not that I made it out untouched, but that I made it out transformed. Each revelation became a roadmap, helping me (and now my readers) navigate the terrain between pain and promise.
From My Heart to Yours If there’s one thing Brave in Broken Places has taught me, it’s that brokenness isn’t a dead end — it’s a doorway. Behind every tear-stained prayer, every sleepless night, every unanswered “why,” there’s a God who rebuilds differently than we imagined. He doesn’t patch cracks — He remakes vessels.
So this book isn’t just pages and ink to me. It’s a living testimony — a reminder that your current chapter doesn’t cancel your calling. You can walk through fire and still come out carrying light. You can cry your way through the valley and still arrive at victory. You can lose almost everything and still gain perspective, peace, and purpose.
And maybe that’s why you’re here — maybe you found this post because life has been heavy lately. Maybe you’ve been brave in ways no one clapped for. Maybe you’ve learned to smile through storms, and you’re just ready for someone to say, “You’ve done enough. Now let grace carry you.”
If that’s you, this book was written with you in mind. Each page is a piece of my heart, placed gently in your hands, saying, “You’re not alone. You’re not forgotten. And yes, you can heal.”
What You’ll Discover Inside Stories that speak to the woman who’s endured silently
Prayers and prompts that help you breathe again
Truths and affirmations to rebuild your faith one word at a time
Encouragement to remind you that being brave isn’t pretending — it’s persevering
Whether you’re navigating loss, healing from trauma, or simply trying to remember who you were before the world broke you — Brave in Broken Places is a gentle companion for the journey.
🛒 How to Get Your Copy
You can grab your copy today through Digital Mastery or order it directly from Amazon using the link below.
👉🏾 Order “Brave in Broken Places” on Amazon
Let this be more than a book you read — let it be a mirror that reminds you of what’s still possible. You are not what happened to you. You are what you’ve overcome. You are what grace rebuilt. And you, my friend, are still brave — even here.
“May every word remind you that your story still matters. That your healing is holy. And that courage doesn’t always roar — sometimes, it whispers, ‘I’m still here.’”
-Alecia S. Spence