11. Amanda Yashack, part 2: "God is healing me and he is giving me my life back"

Hope and healing. If you've ever experienced a trauma, you need both. But how do you know when healing has actually begun? For Capt Amanda Yashack, United States Air Force Reserve, the genesis of the hope and healing that she so desperately needed could have easily gone unnoticed. It began in the back of a church after Sunday services, as a stranger offered Amanda a tissue and sat silently with her as she cried. In the previous episode, Amanda shared the first part of her story, which centered on the trauma she experienced as a result of a sexual assault. If you missed that part of her story, be sure to go back and take a listen. As I mentioned last episode, if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please get help. Consider starting with the National Sexual Assault Hotline. They offer confidential 24/7 support, and their number is 800-656-4673. In this episode, Amanda concludes her story by sharing how God began to radically heal her heart and change her life through a series of events. As you listen to Amanda's story of military life at the intersection of faith, family, and profession, here are a few questions to ponder: The kindness and dignity given her from an unknown lady at church, or the pilot school classmates' "by a different playbook" life of faith that she wanted for herself—those are some of the ways other Christians impacted Amanda during her faith journey to Christ. Have you ever thought about how the way you live your life impacts others, both positively and negatively? Amanda came to believe that "God gives us the free choice to choose Him because real love does not force anybody to do anything." By first recognizing God's "free and loving choice to forgive me," Amanda was moved "to understand that I can freely and lovingly forgive the people who assaulted me." Is it possible to forgive others outside of loving them? What would need to change for forgiveness in love to happen? Amanda participated in RMH, an outdoor leadership program largely for young officers. What do you think this mentor's statement from their Bible study sessions, "We shouldn't live our lives to be better Christians but that we should seek Christ with everything, and the rest will follow"? In this episode, Amanda also mentioned: Episode 47, "Building Community in the Military Sisterhood" (47. Kristin Goodrich: Building community in the military sisterhood - Officers' Christian Fellowship (ocfusa.org)) Rocky Mountain High, OCF's premier leadership development program for cadets, midshipmen, junior officers and Christian leaders (Rocky Mountain High – Spring Canyon Conference Center)