This is my story. It’s delicate, raw, and woven with threads of joy and pain, triumph and defeat. It’s not perfect, and neither am I. But it’s mine. Just as your story is yours, unique and invaluable. My story doesn’t make me better or worse than you; it simply makes me human. And through it all, one truth stands firm: God’s grace has carried me, even when I didn’t realize it.
My name is Rich Wyatt. I was born in Virginia, the land of rolling hills and timeless beauty. But life uprooted me early, taking me to Iowa, my parents’ "home." As a child, life was innocent and carefree. Winters were filled with building snow forts and summers were spent riding bikes, playing army, and chasing dreams in the form of cops and robbers. My imagination was my playground, and I created worlds with toy cars, pennies, and dreams.
I was an ordinary kid with an extraordinary imagination, but that same imagination later played a role in the storms that shaped my life.
A Shattered Childhood
At 14, the unthinkable happened. My parents' marriage unraveled, and so did my world. The shouting, the leaving, the heartache—it was like a storm I couldn’t escape. My parents divorced, and I was left drowning in confusion and pain, asking God, “Why me?” This was the beginning of a journey I never saw coming.
Through the chaos, God’s hand was at work. My grandmother Ruth, in her wisdom and love, pulled me close and brought me to her church. It was there, under the mentorship of Pastor James L. Black at Foursquare Church in Newton, IA, that God began to rebuild me. One evening, I sat at the church piano, and in that moment, God supernaturally gave me a gift I could never repay. My hands began to play as though I had practiced my whole life. This was more than music—it was God’s calling. I began leading worship, teaching kids, and stepping into ministry. God was taking the broken pieces and weaving them into something new.
The Call of God
Even as I stepped into ministry, the pain of my family’s brokenness lingered. At Bible college in Virginia, I struggled—academically, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet, through it all, I could feel God’s hand on my life, a persistent call that I couldn’t escape. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). I returned home to Iowa, still grappling with the weight of my past but determined to follow God’s call.
The Descent and the Awakening
I wish I could tell you that I figured it all out, but my journey was far from smooth. I moved to Key West, FL, serving as a worship pastor but still living out of alignment with God’s will—not in willful sin, but not where God had planned for me. Back in Iowa, I married a woman I thought I was ready for—but I wasn’t. I was selfish, immature, and broken in ways I didn’t yet understand.
In my brokenness, God began His work. Slowly, painfully, but faithfully, He stripped away my selfishness, my pride, my bitterness. He showed me the roots of my pain—the unforgiveness I held toward my parents, the resentment I buried deep within. And in His mercy, He began to heal me. It was excruciating, but it was necessary. The transformation was undeniable. God was not just restoring me; He was making me new.
God’s Healing and Redemption
As I sought Him, God revealed the truth: “All things work together for good, for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). He showed me that Satan had been plotting my destruction from the very beginning, but God had a greater plan. Through prayer, fasting, and His Word, I found hope and healing.
Though my family could not be restored, God taught me that even in loss, He is still faithful. He took my failures and redeemed them, using my story to bring hope to others. Today, I stand not as a perfect man, but as a testimony to God’s power to heal, restore, and use even the most broken among us.
A Word for You
If you’re in the middle of a storm, I want you to know this: God is not finished with you. He is the God who restores broken hearts, mends shattered families, and brings beauty from ashes. Your pain is not wasted. Your story is not over. Let Him work. Let Him heal. Let Him transform.
I invite you to join the conversation. Share your story. Seek community. Together, we can walk the journey of healing and restoration, trusting the One who makes all things new. God’s promise is true: He works all things together for good.
This is my story. What’s yours?