Some stories are hard to tell. Jonathan Anthony Burkett’s memoir, Neglected But Undefeated: The Life Of A Boy Who Never Knew A Mother’s Love, is one of them. Yet it is not, at its heart, a story about pain. It is a story about a God who never let go of a boy, even when the people around him did.
Today we walk through the turning points of that story, as Jonathan has shared it in his book, and what each one can teach us about our own storms.
Turning point one: a happy beginning in Jamaica
Jonathan was born in Florida in 1987. He spent his early childhood with his grandparents in Jamaica, and those years were happy ones. It is worth pausing there, because the beginning matters. Before the storm came, there was love, a home and people who cared for him.
Many of us can look back and find a season like that, a grandmother’s kitchen, a teacher who believed in us, a church that knew our name. Those seasons are not small. They are seeds that God plants early, and they often hold us up later when life turns hard.
The lesson
Never underestimate the love you give a child today. You may be planting the very memory that carries them through a storm you will never see.
Turning point two: the move that changed everything
When Jonathan was six, he moved back to the United States to live with his mother. Instead of the love a child longs for, he was abused. His book’s subtitle says it plainly: he was a boy who never knew a mother’s love.
We will not dwell on the details here. What matters for readers is this: if you were hurt by someone who should have protected you, what happened to you was not your fault, and it does not define who you are. God sees you. Scripture speaks to this very wound:
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”
— Psalm 27:10 (KJV)
Forsaken by people does not mean forgotten by God. That truth runs through every page of Jonathan’s story.
Turning point three: homeless as a teenager
By the age of fourteen, Jonathan was homeless. It is hard to imagine a teenager carrying that much weight. Many people in that place lose hope, and no one would blame them.
But the title of the book is the answer to the question of how the story ends: undefeated. Being knocked down is not the same as being defeated. Defeat is when we stop getting up. Jonathan kept getting up.
The lesson
If you are in a season where nothing feels stable, hold on to the next small step. You do not have to see the whole road. You only have to refuse to quit today.
Turning point four: surgery and a new chapter
In January 2006, Jonathan faced another battle, this time with his own health. He had a disorder that caused seizures, and he underwent brain surgery. The surgery was successful.
Storms do not always come one at a time. Sometimes they stack up, one after another, until it feels like there is no break in the clouds. Jonathan’s story reminds us that even then, the sky does clear. Healing can come. New chapters can begin.
Turning point five: faith, writing and forgiveness
The most powerful part of Jonathan’s story is not what was done to him. It is what he chose to do. Through faith and through writing, he forgave his mother, and he refused to give up.
Forgiveness does not mean pretending something did not hurt. It does not mean the wrong was right. It means choosing not to let the wound hold the pen that writes the rest of your life. Jonathan picked up a pen of his own and wrote his story down. In his own words from the book:
“Faith is why I’m here today and faith is why I made it through.”
— Jonathan Anthony Burkett, Neglected But Undefeated
What his story asks of us
Jonathan’s journey invites each of us to do a few simple, brave things:
- Remember the good seasons. Thank God for the people who loved you early, and become that person for someone else.
- Tell the truth about the hard seasons. Writing, journaling or talking with a trusted pastor or counselor can help you heal.
- Keep getting up. Knocked down is not defeated.
- Consider forgiveness. Not for the other person’s sake alone, but so your heart can be free.
- Lean on faith. God does not take us around every storm, but He carries us through.
If you are walking through something painful right now, please reach out to someone you trust. You do not have to carry it alone.
The memoir was published by Jonathan Anthony Burkett Publications, and the hardcover edition, 294 pages, was released on February 1, 2013. You can find it on Amazon and see all of Jonathan’s books on his Amazon author page and Goodreads.
Through every storm, we rise together.
Which turning point in Jonathan’s story speaks to you most, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sources: Jonathan Anthony Burkett, “Neglected But Undefeated: The Life Of A Boy Who Never Knew A Mother’s Love” (Jonathan Anthony Burkett Publications; hardcover February 1, 2013); Goodreads, “Jonathan Anthony Burkett Quotes”; King James Bible Online, “Psalms 27:10”.
Learn more about Jonathan at www.jonathanburkett.com
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