Persevering in Life is Worth It! − Valeria Couto Testimonial
Abundant life ≠ perfect life. What we mean by an abundant life is living connected to God, grounded in truth, and ready for anything—with courage, joy, and purpose!
Meet Valeria Couto who is living an abundant life amid challenges.
Valéria participated in the Identity and Purpose Academy in the first semester. She is a Pastor’s wife and leads a project with teenagers at risk in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was beautiful to watch her transformation as she dealt with limitations caused by a car accident that led to several surgeries. She discovered that God could still use her and began seeing herself not as a victim, but as a powerful tool in God’s hands, no matter her physical limitations.
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“Even though I believe in the Word of God and know that He is a loving Father who always takes care of us at all times in life, sometimes I feel incapable of understanding certain things we go through in this world. That’s how I came to PAL and realized that, regardless of the stage of life I was in, through the tools I received, I was able to see that God can still use us for His plans—which are not yet finished—and that the obstacles we face in life help us discover new horizons to move forward for the glory of God.
I am grateful to God for granting me the honor of participating in the meetings because, at first, I felt incapable of starting or completing the course due to various factors. By the end, I felt motivated to seek better training because I understand that God placed us in this world with a purpose and desire to use our lives and callings in many ways. Today, we have technology that can be used as a tool to fulfill our mission in the world, and that will be my first investment—I will pursue growth in the area of IT and also purchase new equipment for my use.
The course also led me to plan how I use my time, as I created strategies to continue the project with pre-teens, people who are emotionally and intellectually vulnerable, and especially in need of love. The goal of the project is to help them understand the love of the Father.
It was an immense pleasure to participate in everything with you all. My purpose is to remain firm and always willing to start over, to relax, and to rebuild as many times as the Lord sees necessary.
My obstacles are many—limited mobility among others—but I prefer to focus on what can give me hope because I realize that the Lord has been, is, and always will be by my side, even in moments when I’ve felt somewhat frustrated—not with Him, but with life’s circumstances. Today, I understand that life is not easy at all, for He said: ‘In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart!’
The very God of love, when He sent His Son into the world, already knew our human limitations. And when I look at everything He endured on that cross, it makes me reflect and see that persevering in life is worth it—because He overcame, and we will also overcome. There is no transformation without pain, and my present struggles cannot be compared to what He has prepared for me in eternity. When my journey here in this world is complete, He will be there waiting for me.”
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