When Love Finally Swept My Heart Basement to Freedom

My heart had a basement of its own–a place where, for forty years, I shoved pain, shame,

and secrets I didn’t want anyone to see. I grew up in a home that carried both love and

tension. As a child, I didn’t always know where I fit in the middle of it all. I experienced abuse that left deep wounds I didn’t know how to process. Those wounds sat unspoken inside me, shaping how I saw myself and how safe I felt in the world. And then, when my dad passed away from cancer when I was sixteen, the weight of grief and confusion grew even heavier.

By the time I stepped into adulthood, the basement was so overwhelmingly heavy that I knew I couldn’t keep the pressure inside forever. But pain doesn’t go away just because we hide it. The longer I shoved my pain in the basement of my heart, the more it grew stale and suffocating.

In adulthood, pain followed me. I entered a marriage where domestic violence became part of my story, and suddenly the wounds of my childhood were joined by shame in the present.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have

the light of life” (John 8:12, NIV). I think of the woman at the well in John 4– carrying shame from her past and avoiding the crowds to keep her secrets hidden. Yet Jesus sought her out, met her right there, and spoke truth that exposed her pain not to condemn her but to free her.

What I tried to hide in darkness was exactly the place where Jesus longed to meet me with His light. And that’s the power of Christmas: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has

not overcome it” (John 1:5, NIV).

That’s when relentless Love found me. I remember when God began to unpack that basement during my time in ReGeneration. At the time, I was completing my psychology degree at Liberty University, and the internship was part of my degree completion. I thought I was there to serve and help others.

But God had other plans. He was relentless in pursuing me, showing me that I needed freedom. I had carried decades of suppressed pain, and He loved me too much to leave me in the dark.

Week after week, I began to share pieces of my story. Tears came, and emotions I had buried

for decades finally surfaced. At home, I sat daily with God, where He met me with love and reminded me of His character. And here’s what I found: When I stopped running and let Him in, I didn’t meet condemnation or shame. I met His presence.

Every time I thought I had exhausted His grace, He poured out more. His relentless love found me right where I was–in the hidden basement I thought was too messy and too broken. And in His love, He offered me freedom. That’s the relentless love of Christmas.

Jesus didn’t wait for the world to be perfect before He entered. He came as a baby in the most unexpected way–right into the manger, into the dust and darkness of this world. And that same Savior still steps into the mess of our lives today, bringing light where we need it most. God wouldn’t let me go.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that relentless love is not a one-time rescue but a daily reality. His love has met me again and again– when I faced the wounds of childhood abuse, when I endured the cycle of violence, when I buried my nephew after suicide, and even when I confessed the pride and control I had clung to in order to survive. Every time I tried to hide, Jesus came closer. His love didn’t just save me once; it keeps on saving me.

So when I read the Christmas story, I see more clearly who Jesus is. He chose shepherds –ordinary and overlooked–to be the first to hear the good news. He entered a manger–messy and unfit for a King–to show that no place is too lowly for His presence. And He came as the Light

that shines into darkness–the Light that has illuminated my path and where I found love like I had never known. And I realize: The relentless love of God is not just a story we celebrate once a year. It’s the story we live every day when we surrender to Him.

What’s in your basement this Christmas? As you pull out your decorations and shake off the dust, pause and ask: What hidden corners of my heart still need Jesus’ light? Don’t stay in

the dark. Let His relentless love sweep in with freedom and life.

Sister, maybe this holiday season you’re carrying pain like I once did. Maybe your story feels too messy for God to use. Let me assure you–the relentless love of Jesus will meet you right there too. He doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. He comes for you. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV).

This Christmas, don’t stay in the dark. Let His relentless love meet you right where you are.

Peggy Easterling

Author: Peggy Easterling is the Founder and CEO of The Mindset School, where she helps faith-driven women identify mindset blocks, renew their thinking, and step boldly into their God-given calling. A summa cumlaude Psychology graduate with certifications from The Life Coach School, The Primal Question, and Kingdom Coaching Certification, Peggy equips women—whether in life, leadership, or business—to stop letting fear, shame, or limiting beliefs hold them back. Her clients learn to clear the mental and emotional clutter so they can hear God’s voice, trust it, and move forward with clarity and confidence. Peggy believes God uses the unlikely to do the extraordinary—so He alone gets the glory (1 Corinthians 1:27).