From sexual abuse as a young girl, new book will help those suffering from trauma

FAITH NEWS SERVICE – When Louise Wilkinson was a little girl, she thought that her father owned her. Sexually abused since infancy, Louise grew up thinking that it was normal to be used for sex. But it gets worse. As a teenager, she was trafficked by her father to his friends.

Louise Wilkinson is a survivor of sexual abuse, and her life has only been able to have any sort of normality because of the fact that she met Jesus in 2012. In one moment, her life changed trajectory and she was able to begin her healing process.

Louise has now written her memoir, Loved. Saved Healed. As part of this, her vision is to help others to heal in whatever area it is that they are feeling pain from. Accordingly, Louise wants to ask you two questions:

1) Have you ever been let down by someone who was meant to love and protect you?

2) Have you ever had your heart broken so badly that you thought you could never forgive that person for hurting you?

When Louise first heard the call from God to write a book, her initial thought was to run and hide. The secrets that she held from her childhood were far too painful to bring out into the open, let alone share with the world. But during her quiet time with the Lord, she kept hearing the same words repeatedly, “it’s time.”

Louise recounts: “The more I tried to ignore what God was saying to me and just stay busy, the louder His voice seemed to become until it was so loud that it was drowning everything else out. So, I felt like I had no choice but to be obedient to Him.”

Louise has always kept journals, so she started to write, starting with the year her parents met, and she did not stop for two and a half years. The result? A very honest, and at times raw and painful, account of her life, including the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and his friends.

Louise moved to Perth in 1988 and unbelievably had repressed all memories of the abuse until one day, at the age of 23, following a traumatic event she uncovered the horrifying truth. As she recalls in her book Loved. Saved. Healed, “I felt this rushing in my head like a wind getting louder and louder, and with it came this sickly feeling and a revelation: my father had sexually abused me, and I had forgotten everything.”

Louise’s journey of self-discovery began that day and two years later she was addicted to drugs and had just entered an abusive relationship. Louise continued to struggle, until one day she got pregnant and her whole life changed. Louise says, “I had always wanted to be a mum, but never thought I would get the chance. I didn’t even know God back then, but it was like He knew I needed a fresh start, and He gifted me a son.”

Unfortunately, she then spent over eight years fighting her way through a domestic violence relationship and finally broke free in 2011. It was after giving her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ in 2012 that the real healing begun. After her fourth hospital admission for depression and PTSD in 2017, Louise realised that God was going to use her in a mighty way to reach the broken and the lost.

As she says in Loved. Saved. Healed, “For anyone who has been hurt and betrayed, this story is for you. For anyone who has given up on themselves or humanity, I hope my words bring you hope. For anyone who has had their heart trampled on and for those who have caused immense pain to the ones they love, I want to tell you: there is a way forward.”

Louise believes passionately in the healing power of Jesus Christ and has seen it in many areas of her own life and in the lives of those around her. Louise has a heart for people who have been let down, betrayed and hurt. She wants the entire world to know of the miracles that only God can bring, and the peace that comes from loving Him.

She says of her own relationship with God: “Somehow. out of all the mess, He has given me a beautiful and precious life. Only the Lord could take all the hurt I have been through and turn it into something good. I want everyone to know that you can move past your pain and suffering and truly forgive those who have hurt you.”

Louise has a challenge for you; she wants you to look deep inside yourself and ask the following questions:

What hurts are you still hanging onto?
What past mistakes and regrets are sitting inside your heart, causing you pain? What do you need to forgive yourself for?
And more importantly, who in your life do you need to forgive?”

Louise knows first-hand of the forgiveness and healing that can only come from loving and serving Jesus. “When you choose to not forgive you are saying that what Jesus did on the cross for you was not enough, when in truth, it was always enough,” Louise says.

Louise has been married for over ten years and has three beautiful children. She has worked hard to forgive those who caused her so much pain. Louise will never forget the trauma that she suffered, but she wants you to know that it is possible to heal from your past and that it doesn’t have to dictate how you live your life.

She says in Loved. Saved. Healed, “…The real strength comes from knowing God and loving Him and surrendering to Him, especially when the unexpected happens. Life is a crazy ride, and we must hold onto Him tightly!”

Loved. Saved. Healed. published by Ark House, is now globally available. You can also connect with Louise on Facebook and Tik Tok, @loved_saved_healed.