I desperately wanted to end my life

Dineo experienced dramatic events and emotional pain from a young age. She was raised by different childminders, and that left her feeling isolated and unloved because she had no parental affection.

“Even though I was raised by childminders, I still wanted my parent’s love. My mother and I never got along. I was constantly mistreated at home; she was both physically and emotionally abusive towards me. The abuse was so severe that I’d sometimes go to school with bruises all over my face. I hated her and harboured deep resentment towards her.

Worse still, I was also bullied at school because of my weight and appearance. That turned me into an angry and bitter child,” she said.

Dineo’s life took another turn for the worse when she started high school. She befriended people who introduced her to a destructive lifestyle of casual dating, drinking, smoking dagga and partying.

“I got into a toxic relationship, but I stayed with him because at least he accepted me, until he started hitting me. When the beatings started, I decided to leave him,” said Dineo.

Her breaking point came when she was in Grade 8. Overwhelmed by the weight of her suffering, she attempted suicide.  

“When I was 14 years old, I desperately wanted to end my life. I threw myself down a flight of slippery stairs, but I survived the fall. I was taken to the hospital, where I was treated. However, I still felt empty and hopeless,” she shared.

Her life took a turn for the better when Dineo and her family decided to return to God. She started attending church services at the Universal Church. 

“I remember a particular service where the pastor spoke about peace and how to receive it. I longed for that peace and realised that I needed to change my life. I started by cutting ties with negative influences, quitting smoking and abandoning my reckless lifestyle. I understood that if I wanted peace, I needed to repent and start living a life that pleased God.

Now my mother and I have a very good relationship. Forgiving her was the hardest part of my change, but I did it. My past no longer hurts me because I finally found the peace I had been longing for.

My family is blessed. We all attend church services and pray together, and we have made God the centre of our lives. I’m studying and working part-time. I’m happy with my life, knowing that, above all else, I have the presence of God in me,” shared Dineo