The Ledger

By Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

It never ceases to amaze me how much life can change in ten years.

One night, when our oldest was fifteen, I was putting my newborn to bed when the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart, “Go check on Anya now!” I laid the baby down and walked quietly down the hall. It was just after midnight when I opened her bedroom door and found her sitting on her bed, surrounded by envelopes.

She had written twenty-six letters to friends and loved ones because she planned to take her own life that night.

Miraculously, the Lord had other plans.

She cried out to me about her depression, and within hours, we had a therapist in our home. That night began a long and difficult journey through mental health struggles that lingered for years. As a mother, I often felt helpless, but I clung to the truth that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV).

By the time Anya graduated from high school, something had begun to shift. God was healing her in ways I could not fully explain. She went on to complete beauty school, and in her work, she began ministering to her clients in a way that reached far beyond outward appearance.

Her testimony and her compassion revealed Jesus in quiet, meaningful ways.

After two years as a cosmetologist, she came home with unexpected news. She felt called to attend The Ramp School of Ministry in Alabama and pursue pastoral leadership. From a practical standpoint, the decision did not make much sense, but from a Kingdom perspective, it made perfect sense.

So, we said yes.

Anya’s first year brought homesickness, but it also brought significant growth. Her confidence deepened, and her relationship with Jesus became her foundation. Over time, we watched the Lord do what only He can do—restore, rebuild, and redeem.

Now, as she enters her third year, she steps into a season of internship that will take her into counseling and mission work around the world. This week, that calling carries her to South Africa for a twenty-day mission trip. We remain here in Cochran, Georgia, watching her blossom and trusting the Lord to direct her steps. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV).

Gone is the fearful, broken fifteen-year-old who sat on that bed years ago.

In her place stands a confident woman of God, marked by the Holy Spirit and shaped by the Word. She carries a testimony of healing, yielding, and calling. She burns with a passion for Jesus that cannot be manufactured—only formed through the faithfulness of God.

Now, at twenty-five years old, I see in Anya the fullness of what God has done over the past ten years—not just in her life, but in our family as well.

As I watch her soar, I am reminded of a truth I have come to hold tightly: what looks broken is not beyond restoration. What feels impossible is not beyond redemption, and the one who once struggled to stand can, by the grace of God, rise again. “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31, ESV).

Because in the hands of the One who saves, heals, and restores, even torn wings still fly.