The Thread for Survivors: A 5-Day Devotional Journal of Healing, Finding Your Voice and Sacred BecomingSample

Remember Her Thread

Today, we remember Tamar, the daughter of King David. She was betrayed by someone who should have protected her—her half-brother, Amnon. Obsessed and entitled, he manipulated a situation to isolate and violate her. Tamar resisted. She reasoned. She cried out—No! And yet, she was silenced, discarded, and left to carry the shame of a sin that was never hers.

Tamar’s No wasn’t hesitant or timid but bold and courageous. It was the sound of a woman claiming her worth amidst betrayal. Her No named the violation for what it was: wicked, unjust, and shameful. She didn’t whisper; she cried out. And though her words didn’t change Amnon’s actions, they declared something sacred: I matter.

After the assault, Tamar found shelter in her brother Absalom’s home—perhaps the only place that felt remotely safe. Scripture tells us she lived in desolation, but I like to imagine that, in time, healing began there. Maybe slowly. Maybe in fragments. Maybe in silence. But healing, nonetheless.

And while her life may have felt like it had unraveled, God did not turn away. He saw her. He preserved her story—not to shame her, but to remind generations of women that even the deepest wounds are seen, remembered, and held with divine compassion. Tamar’s voice didn’t disappear. God made sure it would be recorded so that no woman would ever believe her pain was too dark, too complicated, or too much for Him.

When trauma enters our stories, it often leaves behind scraps—frayed pieces of identity, torn strands of safety and self-worth. But the beauty of God is that He doesn’t discard those fragments. He invites us to gather them, examine them, and begin to weave something new together- a tapestry of healing, dignity, and sacred becoming.

What looks like ruin to us is raw material to Him.

Reweave a New Tapestry of Change

• What scraps or remnants from your own painful experiences are you holding onto?
• Can you imagine what it might look like to invite God to co-create something new and whole from what’s left?

Prayer

God who sees, Thank You for honoring Tamar’s pain by placing her story in Your Word.
When I feel forgotten or undone, remind me that You hold my story, too. Give me the courage to gather what’s been scattered, and trust You to weave something beautiful from every torn thread.
Amen.