When Faith Breaks Trust, Part One: Shame, Power, and Spiritual Harm
- The Broken & Beautiful
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Some stories are not hidden because they are small.
They are hidden because systems rely on silence to survive.
In Echoes and Edges, Hannah May shares a sacred story of spiritual harm that reshaped her relationship with faith, self-trust, and belonging. What matters most is not only what happened—but how it was handled.
“I Just Wanted to Know How God Could Heal My Heart”
At 17, Hannah went to her youth pastor and voice teacher in deep shame, believing she had done something terrible. She wasn’t asking for confrontation or justice. She asked one question:
How will God heal my heart?
What she was really asking was whether she could still be redeemed.
That belief—that harm was her fault, that worth was fragile, that obedience mattered more than safety—didn’t come from nowhere. It was taught.
When Care Turns Into Control
Instead of compassion, Hannah was met with anger and coercion. She was told there would be a confrontation, whether she wanted one or not. She was forced into a meeting with senior church leaders, her father, and the man who had harmed her.
No women were present.
No advocate.
No protection.
She was interrogated, asked for proof, accused of lying, and ultimately cast out—while the man in power was declared innocent.
Years later, Hannah would name the truth:
That meeting was not a confrontation of harm.
It was a confrontation of her.
The Second Trauma: Silence and Shame
Afterward, Hannah did what many survivors do. She buried the story under shame and moved on as best she could. The cost was decades of confusion, self-blame, and disconnection—from herself, from faith, and from safety.
How Storywork Changes the Lens
Through trauma-informed storywork, held in skilled and compassionate care, Hannah was finally able to see what she could not see before:
She was a child.
The adults failed her.
The system protected itself.
Storywork didn’t erase the shame. It allowed it to be experienced differently—slowly, safely, and with curiosity instead of condemnation. That shift restored language, dignity, and perspective.
Faith After Spiritual Harm
For a season, Hannah turned away from God entirely. If this was what divine care looked like, she wanted no part of it. Over time, through healing and relationship, a quieter faith emerged—separate from the systems that caused harm.
As she says now:
“The healthier I get, the healthier churches I choose.”
Even so, the grief remains. Many institutions are still unwilling or unprepared to hold stories of trauma without blame.
What This Story Asks of Us
This story is not shared for shock.
It is shared for clarity.
It asks us to notice how often shame replaces accountability, how obedience silences discernment, and how systems protect power at the expense of the vulnerable.
Healing does not begin with confrontation.
It begins with being believed.
Some stories don’t need fixing.
They need space, language, and care.
When Faith Breaks Trust: One Sacred Story is Part One of a two-part conversation on Echoes and Edges. Part Two continues the journey toward repair, resilience, and post-traumatic growth.
If this resonates, know this: your questions are not dangerous—and your story deserves to be held with care.
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