NASHVILLE, Tenn.—As singer/songwriter Heather Williams shares about the redemption and restoration she found in a relationship with Christ, she displays character and strength far beyond her years.
During her childhood, Williams dealt with extreme poverty and intense abuse from her mother and stepfather. One time, she even was chained to a tree as a punishment.
| Singer/songwriter Heather Williams |
At age 11, Williams' mother sent her away, and she began living with her grandfather. While dealing with the traumatic effects of abuse, neglect and rejection, Williams turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain during her teenage years. At times, she contemplated suicide.
Just before her life was about to spin completely out of control, Williams found redemption, unconditional love and a Savior while reconnecting with her birth father and accepting an invitation to attend a worship service.
Realizing she reached rock bottom, Williams surrendered her life to Christ.
"When I was 18, I was going through a whole series of events where I was really rejecting God and blaming him for everything that had taken place in my childhood," Williams said. "But I finally came to a point where I decided that I was going to give my life to God, because I was running out of options to survive."
While undergoing a radical life change, she began pursuing music as an outlet to share her experiences. As she was getting her life back on track, Williams fell in love and got married. Tragically, the young couple encountered heartache and grief when their 6-month-old firstborn son suddenly died.
In the midst of their pain, she wrote the words to the hit song, "Hallelujah."
"I believe that God took a moment where I was desperately crying out to him and translated it into this powerful song that people can relate to," Williams said.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
"Everyone has that moment where they have nowhere else to turn, except desperately seeking God's comfort and guidance. This song offers people hope in dark situations by reminding them that God is very near to them."
Reflecting on her journey through the years, Williams is grateful for how far God's grace has brought her.
"Everything that I've lived through, I have tried to translate into music—to somehow be able to tell the story of hope and redemption that Jesus Christ has brought me and how he can bring the same to anyone else," she said.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.