Some stories of redemption come softly. Others roar with the sound of chains breaking. Karen’s story is one of those miracles—raw, honest and unmistakably touched by the hand of God. Today, she stands in freedom at 7 Springs Ministries, but her journey began in deep pain, confusion and longing.
A Childhood of Searching for Belonging
Karen grew up feeling both connected and lost at the same time. Although she loved her family, she often felt out of place—like she didn’t quite fit anywhere. Her beloved grandfather passed away when she was just seven, and it left a wound that shaped much of her early life.
Even as she grew older, the sense of belonging never fully came. “Even though I was included, I still just did not feel like I belonged anywhere.” That ache led her to look for acceptance in all the wrong places, setting the stage for years of struggle.
A Life of Running, Numbing and Surviving
By adulthood, Karen found herself drowning under responsibilities and emotional pain. Drugs and alcohol became her way of coping—first to keep up, and then simply to exist.
She describes her reality this way: “I was always trudging along all the time … I felt like I was going through walls continuously.”
Her addiction escalated from Ritalin to alcohol, then to methadone, pain pills and cocaine. Each substance promised relief, but all it delivered was emptiness.
“I was maintaining my addiction. I wasn’t enjoying it. I wasn’t happy anymore. And I was just empty.”
Her downward spiral eventually brought her to a terrifying moment: a vision of herself sitting at the bottom of a dark well—isolated, hopeless and desperate for a way out.
A Turning Point
The moment everything changed came after she overdosed in a park.
“I had died. I OD’d … And when I came to, that’s when I knew Jesus loved me.”
God began orchestrating events that would eventually lead her to Alabama—and to 7 Springs Ministries. What felt like punishment at first turned out to be divine rescue.
Karen remembers telling officers, “You’re going to kill me.” But later she realized, “I was actually being thrown into the angels.”
Freedom in an Unexpected Place
Sitting alone in St. Clair County Jail, stripped of titles, roles and relationships, Karen experienced a moment of clarity that shifted everything.
She realized that the ache she had carried her whole life—the longing to belong—was really a longing for God.
“All the emptiness that I felt … that missing piece of the puzzle, that hole, the void … My spirit has longed to go back home to be with God.”
That revelation prepared her heart for the transformation waiting at 7 Springs Ministries.
A New Beginning
Karen arrived at 7 Springs about 14 months ago—and she hasn’t looked back. This community became the ground where God rebuilt her life.
“This place saved my life.” she says plainly.
And she means it.
She credits the obedience and faith of our founders: “If Colonie and Daniel did not have the dream to have this place … I would not be alive.”
At 7 Springs, Karen learned to embrace her story rather than run from it. She writes about her feelings, allows herself to experience emotions fully, and uses her past as a reference point—not a prison.
Hope for Others on the Journey
Karen wants others to know that it’s okay to not be okay. In her words:
“Sometimes it’s just not okay. And it’s okay to express that. And it’s okay to feel that and feel it until it’s gone.”
Her life today is filled with hope, purpose and belonging. She knows who she is—and more importantly, whose she is.
“I’m okay with who I am today,” she says with confidence. And that is the miracle of grace.
A Story Still Being Written
Karen’s testimony is a reminder that no one is too far gone, no pit is too deep and no past is too broken for God to redeem. At 7 Springs Ministries, we continue to witness stories like hers—stories of people discovering that the love they always longed for has been pursuing them all along.
If you or someone you love is ready for a fresh start, healing is here. You are not alone. And like Karen, you may find that what once felt like being “thrown to the wolves” is actually deliverance into the arms of God.
