By Clare BruceWednesday 13 Nov 2019FaithReading Time: 3 minutes
Danielle is a Hope 103.2 listener who has needed hope in her life a little more than others.
A survivor of a very traumatic childhood, Danielle grew up in a constant state of anxiety. Her father, who had suffered his own childhood wounds, was an abusive man.
“He was domestically violent to our family, he psychologically abused us, he was also a drug user,” Danielle said. “There was a lot of trauma in our home. I never felt safe. I felt hopeless, I felt like I was alone.”
When Danielle was 19, she had an argument with her father and afterwards, he took his own life. For years as an adult, she continued to suffer from the trauma and despair that resulted, even though she had Christian faith.
“A big period of my life, the need to stay alive was stopping me from seeing that God was there,” she said. “I was so busy focusing on staying alive that I didn’t seem to have any room in my brain to see anything else, to see God’s goodness.”
One day, a remarkable little miracle occurred, that started to shift her perspective. Her alarm clock radio, which was only ever set to ‘beep’ when it went off, strangely went off one morning set to the radio instead. What’s more it was set to a radio station Danielle had never heard of before: Hope 103.2. And playing at that moment was a devotion segment.
“I had a dream, and someone in my dream was saying, ‘Look for Jesus. Look for Jesus’”, recalls Danielle. “Then when my alarm clock went off, it wasn’t the beeps that I was used to, but a man on the radio, saying, ‘Look for Jesus. Look for Jesus!’ I now realise that was actually the first time I ever heard of Hope the radio station. I didn’t even know a Christian radio station existed, to be honest.”
After that day, Danielle found herself being reminded of the message to ‘look for Jesus’.
“There Were All These Things I Was Blind To, and Now I Could See”
“[God] was telling me to look for Him in everyday moments,” said Danielle. “He was telling me to look for Him in the faces of my children. He was telling me to look for him in in the love of my husband. He was telling me to look for him in all the moments of happiness.
“There were all these things around me that I was somehow blind to, and now all of a sudden I could see them. I would see them in a different way. It’s funny how just a simple phrase, three simple words, ‘Look for Jesus’, can change everything.”
“Hope brings me out of those feelings of hopelessness… It reminds me that God is the answer.”
Danielle gives all glory to God for the happiness she’s found in life, despite such broken beginnings.
“The only thing that has gotten me to this point, where I’m having a fantastic life with a great husband and beautiful children – the only thing that’s gotten me here, is faith; is God,” she said.
She’s also grateful for the role Hope 103.2 plays in her life, lifting her up when she’s feeling down.
“Hope brings me out of those feelings of hopelessness… It reminds me that God is the answer, and it reminds me of that dream I had, to ‘look for Jesus‘. It reminds me every time I listen to it.”
Need Support?
- If you or someone you know is struggling or needs a compassionate listening person to talk to, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Australia’s Suicide Callback Service, on 1300 659 467.
Help Others Like Danielle
To reach out to those like Danielle who need encouragement in a tough season, why not support your listener-funded radio station through Hope 103.2’s “Hope Worth Sharing” Appeal. Tax-deductible gifts can be made through our donation page.