Becoming a First Time Author, with Kim Smith EP: 020

Inspirational author Shannon L. Alder said: “There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness.”

That’s the truth. All of us have gone through heartbreak at some point, experienced difficult moments, and had dark days we thought would never end. And while our individual life stories may be woven uniquely, we ultimately have the same story elements and patterns such as love lost and found, birth and death, abuse and healing — and the same emotions that come with these experiences.

For first time author Kimberly Smith, life has been a series of traumatic events. When she finally decided to write these down in her book Beautifully Broken: Forged through Fire, Up from Ashes, telling her story freed her from the negative hold her experiences had on her, and gave her the power to heal not just her own heart, but also touch other women’s lives.

In this episode, Kim and I talk about:

• When she first realized she wanted to tell her story, and the hang-ups she had to work through to honor the people she loves in the midst of the dark truths contained in her book
• What her story is, including that pivotal moment she realized she needed healing and pleaded to God to fix her
• Finding her true worth instead of trying to be what everyone else around her wanted her to be
• Finding the essence and importance of her story, and how God is using it as a redemption narrative to inspire, empower and heal other women
• Receiving unexpected responses after publishing the book, and the realization that telling her story in an honest, transparent and vulnerable way is giving women the courage to free themselves from a place of shame
• How she thinks organized religion is affecting the way we think about our mistakes and the choices we should be making, including what she feels we should be doing instead
• The song and Bible verse that inspired the name Beautifully Broken x 3, Kim’s ministry

I invite you to be inspired today by Kim’s story — one that speaks of hope despite the tragedies and light after the darkness. It’s a story that all of us will be able to relate to, and may even encourage us to share our own and be a light for someone else.

Resources:

Kim’s book: https://beautifullybrokenx3.com/book/

Kim’s website: https://beautifullybrokenx3.com/

Kim’s Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/BeautifullyBrokeninTX

LIGHTbeamers Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LIGHTbeamersCommunity