You Tube

I am by no means technologically challenged, but putting together a music video slide show for You Tube was a challenge.

A little over a year ago, I put together a slide show to Matthew West's song "Broken Girl."  Since the post date, it has been watched nearly 100,000 times. 

The slide show is a personal collection of photos, including one of my baby photos and another recent photo of me.  It was an easy decision to include those.  You see, I believe I was born absolutely perfect and was meant to be a blessing to my parents.  That was not to be the case with my family and various abusers making me a broken girl.

Admittedly, I am not a big fan of the actual music.  However, the words are my life.  Putting my pictures to these words was a way for me to tell the world that the shame of my abuse falls on the abusers and NOT on me.  It was my personal admission that I did nothing to deserve it, nor could I have prevented it.  It was my personal way to stand up and be counted as one of the millions. 

The video has taken on a life of it's own or maybe a ministry.  Several times a week, girls and women of all ages not only watch but leave comments.  Some of them credit the song for giving them strength.  Some of them are at their lowest point and they find comfort in knowing they are not alone.  Some of them are searching for something to hold onto, they are searching for Jesus.  Some of them come broken with the belief they will never be anything but broken.

Some of the girls have contacted me directly.  I never think twice about reaching out to those girls and women.  I always pray for them.  I always recommend they reach out for help locally.  There are times I even have to give out crisis phone numbers for those who mention suicide. 

I have even been contacted by boyfriends and husbands who ask how they can best help their girlfriends and wives who have been abused. 

The first young lady to ever contact me has stayed in constant contact with me.  Through facebook, I have watched her life change dramatically over the past six months.  She graduated high school, found a job, is headed to school in two months, began talking with her dysfunctional family and is finally in steady counseling.  It has been amazing to see her life change and grow. 

I'm not taking any credit for anything that has transpired from that video.  I don't think I've changed anyone and I don't think I have done anything aside from posting the video.  But it is amazing to watch God use a video or a song to speak to all the broken girls.