Damaged but Not Destroyed: From Trauma to Triumph by Michael Todd Book Review

In Damaged but Not Destroyed, Michael Todd explored how he has been hurt and experienced trauma. He referred to it as H.O.T. (humble, open, and transparent). Even though we are damaged, we can still remember that we are not destroyed. One of the stories, he shared was about how he purchased a fancy car that he couldn’t afford. He made the month payments but couldn’t afford anything extra and he has no spare money if something broke. He let his insurance lapse while it was in the shop. The day it was fixed there was ice all over the road and instead of waiting he went to go pick up his ride. He accidently slid into another lane and hit a car. He got insurance back on the vehicle and then waited a few hours to call back and file a claim. He chose to lie and committed insurance fraud, which is a felony. It took about five years before it all was revealed and the hearings were completed. At this time, he was a youth pastor. He had to turn himself in and was booked and jailed. He did his time and paid the fines and worked in the community. He had to deal with the self-inflicted damage. In the book, he helped readers to heal and deal with their damage. God is able to restore and use everything good according to His purpose. 

 

Another favorite chapter discussed an analogy of the dartboard of damage. There are four common weapons that we all face and can leave a mark. These enclosed words, actions, exposure, and environment. Next, he goes into detail about the common domains of damage: disappointments, false teachings, ignorance, scarcity, abuse, neglect, rejection, and much more. “The darts (weapons of damage) and domains (the where of damage)”. This illustration was very eye opening to see where the darts and the wound and damage can occur. It included some examples of equations and open spaces where you can write down your own thoughts that lead to your damage. 

 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone is feeling broken, hurt, and damaged. This book will assist readers into realizing that they are not destroyed even if they feel that they are damaged. I immensely loved how he reminded readers that their name is unique and how God knows your name. You don’t have to answer to “addict, slut, felon, or failure”. This is incredible and powerful to remember that our value is in Christ. He also included a special section with verses describing our identity in Christ. 

 

 

 

 

I received this book free from Water Brook for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Damaged-but-Not-Destroyed-Triumph/dp/0593444884/