After several suicide attempts, five marriages, four children and constant bouts with alcoholism and drug abuse, Rena came to the life-changing realization that she actually longed for life, real life, and not the unfulfilled one she had endured all these years. Rena knew she needed help; she needed something more powerful than man could offer.
Finally Broken addresses the age-old question, “Are we a product of our environment?” If you enjoy roller coasters, you will see the similarities between the “ride” and the life-defining choices made by a young girl who was a casualty of living in a dysfunctional family. Rena’s story shows how she reached her “bottom”, which is different for each individual, before she finally broke the generational mold of self-destruction and learned to become a functional part of a family and society.
Having always felt alone and scared, Rena never realized that God had continued to place people in her life to guide and comfort her should she ever decide to call on them. We all have heard the saying, “Out of the mouths of babes”. Rena was eventually led to the arms of the Lord by her daughter, Jenny, who refused to give up on her Mother. Although very strained at times, Rena and Jenny have always had a very close relationship. Rena has tried to keep true to her promise to her children that they would never go through the pain and agony she did as a child, and no matter the life paths these children decided to take, they would know the feeling of a Mother’s love.
What would you do if you could live your life again? What would you change? What would you do for a second chance?
Finally Broken is born out of personal experiences; child abuse, spousal abuse, multiple marriages and addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs that the author has encountered throughout the years.
Never admitting to having it all together, but rather using her own personal struggle as a way for readers to relate, Rena Montford’s book invites readers to bring order to their own personal existence by inviting God’s control over every segment of their lives.
The content is raw and honest and offers help and hope to those who wonder if they have out-sinned God’s grace or if their life circumstances have set them aside from being used by God.
Is there a way back? Having reached the point of being Finally Broken, God has inspired the writing of this book so that those who do not know Him, in the fullness of His power, might believe and trust Him when all other resources they sought have failed.
Excerpt
Too many secrets can ruin lives. Things untold and unresolved cannot
be healed. It’s very difficult to look back over my own life and to realize
the effect that my deeds and words have had on others. I would have
preferred that things had been different, better, for everyone involved,but they weren’t.
I was too afraid, angry, or indifferent to alter my need to control everything around me, and everyone I cared about paid their own heavy price.
There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to take a close look at themselves. Not at their circumstances, not at what they
did, not how unfair life is or at who made you do it. You just have to
look at yourself.
I was fifty-one years old. An hour earlier, I had rejected the E.M.T.’s
assistance and the ambulance ride, but a female police officer at the
scene had personally insisted on taking me to the emergency room in
her squad car.
As I waited to see a doctor, I noticed that my shirt was covered in blood. Looking at myself in my compact mirror, I could see that four of my front teeth were shattered, my lip was swollen to three times its size,
and my nose was leaning to one side, obviously fractured.
I could feel no physical pain. My face was numb despite the severity
of my injuries. I had been drinking all day and felt sick to my stomach. I
just wanted to hurl and to lie down somewhere warm and safe.
My son and his girlfriend lived nearby. I checked the time and saw
that it was still Sunday, just before midnight. I called them to come to
the hospital to be with me, assured them everything would be okay, and
waited in the crowded ER to see a doctor.
After treatment, x-rays, and a referral to a plastic surgeon, I was
released about 4:00 a.m. As soon as the city offices opened, I was at the courthouse downtown to file charges on the man, my live-in boyfriend, who had assaulted me.
That same morning, my thirty-two-year-old daughter, Jenny, awoke very distraught and crying, having had a dream that I had been brutally
beaten by my boyfriend. After relaying the details of the dream to her
husband, she tried to call me at work Monday morning and was told I
had phoned in sick and did not plan to return to work that week. She
then called my house and Chopper told her I wasn’t there, and that he
did not know where I was.
Chopper also said, “We were drinking, got into a big fight and I
think I hurt her.”
Feeling panic and needing to find me, Jenny and her husband first went to the hospital, then back by my house and finally to the downtown police station in an effort to locate me. The officer told her where in the courthouse I would most likely have gone to file charges, and they
finally found me there.
Seeing my condition, Jenny began to cry and hug me. I would later hear the miracle of “how” they knew I needed help that morning.
After I took care of the legal forms and the warrant, Jenny took me
to my dentist’s office for emergency treatment. She had already prepared
them for my visit, and they were ready to help me look as normal as possible
until a permanent bridge could be made.
The next morning I had an appointment with the plastic surgeon. After his examination, I was immediately scheduled for rhinoplasty to repair my twice-broken nose.
Jenny took me to her home to stay for a few days until the man’s arrest could be made and I felt safe enough to go home. My room at Jenny’s house was warm and cozy, and I felt secure, yet so ashamed. My drama had again affected everybody around me and it had to stop.
As I lay in the guestroom bed, I thought of my grandmother and
how disappointed she would have been with me. I thought of my own
children and how I had hurt them so many times. What was wrong with
me? How could I destroy the ones I loved the most? I had sworn to
myself time and time again that I would be different, that I would be a
loving, kind, and considerate mother, unlike my own.
I sobbed into my pillow, and for the first time in decades, I prayed aloud.
“God, please help me! Please save me! I can’t do this anymore, and I
know that I can’t change things by myself.”
Professional Reviews
Finally Broken
“Truly inspirational! Finally Broken reminds us all that the first step to solving our problems is turning our life over to God. Rena's life is an excellent example of how God's grace can turn years of shame and sadness into a life of hope and renewal. Through this book, anyone dealing with addictions and other personal problems will find common ground with Rena and, hopefully, follow the same path to salvation and renewal.”
Robert Skinner
San Antonio, TX
Finally Broken
“If you grew up like me, in the 1960’s and 1970’s, this book will have a big time connection for many from our period. Parental attitudes and the new freedom kids were exploring made for explosive family dynamics. Finally Broken is a true snapshot of those times and the stresses that tore at the fabric of our families and our nation as a whole. Rena Montford found the ultimate relationship with a Father who truly has all the answers, knows our every need and loves us unconditionally. Just read it!”
Pastor David Gillian
San Antonio, TX
Finally Broken
Finally Broken is a truly inspirational story of how one woman overcame much adversity in her life through her faith and salvation. The recounting of her successful escape from this lifestyle gives you courage that through Christ all things are possible.
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