Shattered & Made Whole: Failures Don't Break Us-They Refine Our Success

Shattered & Made Whole is an autobiographical narrative about the life and faith of Tina Marie Felder. Her story is compelling as she takes the reader through the issues of child molestation, abandonment by her father, failed relationships, betrayal, deception, and failed marriages. She continues by sharing the tragic death to her beloved husband, and the suicidal attempt of another. She describes the betrayal she experienced through the deception of a former prisoner, convicted of rape. Throughout her journey, her heart's desire was to protect her children, and establish a loving family and home. Here story ends remarkably like a storybook with a committed Christian husband, beautiful/successful children, and grandchildren, and an inspiring business and ministry. Shattered & Made Whole is about how God took the failures of her life and turned them into successes.

Do you see failure as the opposite of success? Some people see failure that way, and so did I. I saw myself as an unsuccessful woman because of failures. C. S. Lewis said, "Failures, repeated failures, are a finger post on the road to achievement. One fails forward towards success." Today, despite my failures, I see myself as a success. God's grace has mended the shattered pieces of my life and made me whole.

All of us have failed at something that has caused some degree of embarrassment, distress, or dissatisfaction. Many of us have a fear of failure because we are concerned about what others will say or think. On the other hand, others embrace failure and see it as an opportunity to grow.

For countless years, I allowed my failures to keep me in bondage, a slave to my fears and phobias. I was in a very dark place bound by guilt and shame. However, the most powerful lesson of my journey was learning that although we fail, we grow as we go through our failures and those experiences shape us to become successful.