Cristabelle Braden - Different Kind of Warrior (Live Vocal Performance)
Cristabelle Braden
Today is the anniversary of my traumatic brain injury. It's a weird feeling. On the one hand, I'm so grateful for how far I've come. But this day also brings up the pain and the years of struggle in a way that is hard to describe. I really didn't have any words today. But all of this emotion was coming up that I didn't know what to do with. The only thing I could do was sing it out.
This song was written out of my experience from living with brain injury. Writing music was something I never did before the TBI, but in the early stages of recovery when I was having trouble putting words together, forgetting everything, falling over, struggling with overstimulation and communication and so much more, songs were the only way that I could truly express myself. Music has been a huge part of my recovery process. You might have heard this song before. It was released earlier this year. But singing this again today, I was brought back to that feeling... how cathartic it can be to release emotion in song.
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Being a warrior can be a really long process. It's full of ups and downs and in-betweens. But every step forward is something to celebrate. Every single moment that you continue to fight is a moment of victory. The path is hard. I understand that sometimes it takes everything within you just to take the next breath. I've learned how to desperately rely on the strength of Jesus in ways that I didn't know were possible. In our weakness, He is strong - never forget that. Being a warrior isn't all about pushing through. You are never more of a warrior than when you learn to lay down your burdens, let go, and trust that God is in control. God walks with us through our trials, and He can turn them into something more beautiful than we ever could imagine.
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song
