Forgiveness is one of the hardest words in any language. It is easy to talk about when the hurt is small. It becomes a mountain when the person who hurt you is the one who was supposed to love you most.
That is the mountain at the center of Jonathan Anthony Burkett’s memoir, Neglected But Undefeated: The Life Of A Boy Who Never Knew A Mother’s Love. It is a story of pain, but more than that, it is a story of a heart that chose to be free.
Where the Story Begins
Jonathan was born in 1987 in Florida. As his memoir tells it, his earliest years were happy ones, spent with his grandparents in Jamaica. Those were years of belonging, and they matter. They remind us that even one season of being loved can plant something in a child that hard times cannot fully uproot.
At six, Jonathan moved back to the United States to live with his mother. The home he hoped for was not the home he found. His mother abused him. By fourteen, he was homeless.
We share these facts with care, not to dwell on the pain, but because the rest of the story only shines when we understand how dark the beginning was.
More Storms, and a Lifeline
The trials did not stop there. Jonathan also lived with a disorder that caused seizures. In 2005 he had brain surgery, and it was successful. A young man who had already survived so much now faced the operating room, and came through it.
Through all of this, two things held him: faith and writing. He put his story on paper. And in his own words from the memoir, “Faith is why I’m here today and faith is why I made it through.”
The Choice to Forgive
Here is the turning point that gives the memoir its power. Through faith and writing, Jonathan forgave his mother.
It is important to say what forgiveness is and what it is not. Forgiveness does not say that what happened was acceptable. It does not erase the past or pretend the wound was never there. And it does not require anyone to place themselves back in harm’s way.
Forgiveness is a decision to stop letting the hurt hold the pen. It hands the debt over to God, so that the one who was wounded can finally walk forward. Jonathan’s story shows that a person can be honest about deep pain and still refuse to let bitterness write the ending.
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
— Colossians 3:13 (KJV)
Neglected, But Undefeated
The memoir’s title says it all. “Neglected” is what was done to him. “Undefeated” is who he chose to become. Jonathan refused to give up. He grew into an author, a songwriter and an entrepreneur, and he founded Upstormed LLC, the company behind this magazine.
His best-known words come from this same book: “You know my name, not my story. You’ve heard what I’ve done, but not what I’ve been through.” They are a gentle reminder that every person we meet carries a story we cannot see.
Four Lessons on Forgiveness From Jonathan’s Story
- Your beginning is not your ending. A hard start does not decide where you finish. Jonathan went from a homeless teenager to a published author and founder.
- Write it down. Writing helped Jonathan make sense of his pain. A journal, a letter you never send, or a prayer on paper can help you too.
- Forgiveness frees the forgiver. Letting go of the right to get even is a gift you give your own heart.
- Faith gets you through. Faith did not remove every storm from Jonathan’s life. It carried him through them.
If You Are Carrying a Wound
If someone close to you has hurt you, you do not have to forgive in one day. For many people it is a journey, taken one step and one prayer at a time. Lean on people you trust, and if you are hurting deeply, reach out to a pastor or a licensed counselor. If you are ever in danger, please contact local emergency services.
Jonathan’s story is proof that the storm does not get the last word. God does. Through every storm, we rise together.
Is there someone you are finding it hard to forgive? Without naming anyone, share in the comments what has helped you take even one small step toward peace.
Learn more about Jonathan at www.jonathanburkett.com. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook, and find his memoir on Amazon.
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, Colossians 3:13 (kingjamesbibleonline.org).
Leave a Reply