How Author Sheila Bratton’s Broken Seasons Changed the Lens Through Which She Sees Life
In Today’s Purpose Woman’s series Authors Who Change the Way You See Life, we go beyond the pages of a book to meet the women behind the words—their stories, experiences, faith, and the moments that have shaped how they see life. This month, we spoke with author Sheila Bratton, whose work in criminal justice , social services and ministry has taken her alongside people facing incarceration, addiction, homelessness, foster care, and other difficult circumstances. Her own journey through grief, brokenness, financial hardship, and restoration has also shaped the message she now shares with other women. In her newest book, Broken for the Battle: A Soul Care Workbook, Bratton explores the connection between brokenness, healing, and spiritual wholeness. Below, she reflects on the woman she once was, what life and loss have taught her, and how God has used even her most difficult seasons to shape the woman she is today.
You have walked through seasons of grief, spiritual bankruptcy, brokenness, and restoration. When you look back at the woman you were in those seasons, what do you understand about her now that you didn’t understand then?
I understand that the younger version of me did not know or understand her identity in Christ. If I had fully understood, I would have lived my life differently. For instance, I would have surrendered my life to Him fully. Furthermore, I would have consulted with Him when making decisions regarding relationships, career, finances, and more. In addition, I would have lived my life without trying to live up to society’s expectations. People pleasing causes distance from God. If I could speak to my younger self, I would advise her to remain anchored to God. His thoughts and plans should have been my primary concern. Some of the consequences of my past decisions could have been prevented.
What is one lesson life had to teach you through experience that you don’t think you could have learned any other way?
Previous life experiences from a toxic relationship revealed I had co-dependency traits. Initially, I thought I was being helpful because my occupation was in a helping profession. However, I learned two valuable lessons. The first lesson I learned was I can’t help someone who is not willing to help themselves. It is not healthy to bypass red flags despite how much potential your partner may possess. The second lesson I learned was I am not anyone’s savior. I unintentionally inserted myself as my partner’s savior. However, God used my compassion for people to adopt a teenager in 2003. Again, I assumed the responsibility of saving her. But I learned to trust God to save her and to change the trajectory of her life.
Through your work with people facing incarceration, addiction, homelessness, foster care, and other difficult circumstances, you’ve encountered people during some of their most vulnerable moments. How has that work changed the way you see people and their stories?
My job roles in law enforcement and social services taught me to have sympathy and compassion for people. More importantly, I saw them as human beings. My clients did not deserve to be treated as less than human because of their choices, lifestyles, or their conditions. The clients I served wanted to feel someone genuinely cared about them rather than another case number. My approach was not simply transactional but transformational. A transformational approach allowed me to identify the root cause of their issues and to empower them.
Was there a particular moment in your life when something you once saw as a setback, loss, or broken place began to look completely different to you?
In 2010, I was employed at a nonprofit agency until I was laid off. I was not prepared mentally, spiritually, or financially. Eventually, I moved with a friend. My severance pay and income from a contract with a local jail ended. As a result, I filed bankruptcy. Initially, I felt sorry for myself and prayed for a job. Unfortunately, I did not obtain employment immediately. After pastoral counseling, I started to ask God what He wanted me to learn during that season of brokenness. I called this my cave experience. In this season, I was able to retreat and spend time with God. I was able to identify my dependency on myself instead of Him. There were several other lessons I learned. Surprisingly, I embraced my cave experience because I was able to heal, grow spiritually, and learn more about God’s character.
How has your relationship with God changed through the seasons when you didn’t have easy answers or couldn’t immediately see what He was doing?
During each season of brokenness, I always receive two life lessons. First is knowing the difference between the Names of God versus experiencing Him. For example, I have come to know God personally as my Healer, Deliverer, Protector, Provider, and Comforter in previous seasons of brokenness. Experiencing His attributes is life-changing. Secondly, God has revealed the root of the season of brokenness. I must be willing to accept responsibility for my actions. Even if I was wronged, I must evaluate my heart posture. My thoughts, emotions, and will should be in alignment with His will. He does not reveal my flaws to shame me but for correction and for healing of my soul.
What part of the woman you are today was shaped by something you once wished you had never experienced?
No one desires to suffer. But the Word of God warns us about the suffering we will experience in this world. God’s Word provides hope and healing. My desire for others to be healed and to be whole evolved from my personal and spiritual life experiences. In addition to healing, I discovered freedom from soul wounds. As a result, I want others to experience freedom and revival. Just like the woman at the well, I want to share the living water so others will never thirst again.
When did you realize that what God had brought you through wasn’t only part of your story, but something you were supposed to put into the hands of other women?
After serving disadvantaged populations in my professional career and serving God’s people in ministry, I discovered we all had something in common. We all have survived negative life experiences that left our hearts broken and our souls wounded. I believe I was chosen to be a Kingdom scribe and teacher to assist women through seasons of brokenness and heal from their soul wounds. Disciples beget other disciples. Healing from soul wounds leads to abundant living and qualifies us to reach, rescue, and restore others.
You write, “The breaking and healing are not just for you. It’s for your legacy.” When you think about the legacy you are leaving, what do you hope your life teaches the women coming behind you?
Legacy is not about the temporal things we leave behind. A true Godly legacy is one that I can leave in the next generation and generations to come. Curating books and journals based upon the Word of God. Another way I can leave my legacy is how I serve other women and how I make them feel. I want women to know I was not perfect, but I remained anchored to God. Even though people experience seasons of brokenness, it does not disqualify them from being used by God.
About Sheila’s Latest Book, Broken For The Battle: A Soul Care Workbook
You were not broken by accident —
You were broken for Kingdom deployment
Life’s wounds run deep. Loss, trauma, shame, and pain can leave you spiritually hollow, convinced that healing is beyond your reach. You feel like collateral damage. But what if your brokenness was never the end of your story — what if it was the very thing God is using to prepare you for battle?
Broken For The Battle is a soul care workbook that takes you on a raw, honest, and transformative healing journey. Drawing from her own shattering seasons of grief, spiritual bankruptcy, and hard-won restoration, author Sheila L. Bratton guides you through the root causes of your brokenness, equips you with rules of engagement and tactical strategies, and leads you into the wholeness God has always intended for you. Through the Word of God, powerful biblical profiles, reflective exercises, and battle cries of declaration, this book doesn’t just help you survive — it empowers you to thrive, and ultimately, to reach back, rescue and restore others. The breaking and healing are not just for you. It’s for your legacy.
Quick Takes
A lesson you learned later than you wish you had?
I wish I understood how to properly vet a potential husband. Instead of waiting for God’s best, I unintentionally chose heartbreak.
Something you see differently now than you did five years ago?
Forgiveness is an essential component of healing.
A Scripture you can return to again and again?
Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Something that brings you peace when life gets loud?
Laughter brings me peace.
Something people may be surprised to learn about you?
I have completed a half marathon.
Complete this sentence: “I no longer believe that…”
I no longer believe that my accomplishments and the world’s definition of success determine my worth. My identity is in Christ. Surrendering to His will for my life makes me spiritually wealthy. My relationship with Him is the best return on investment I could have made.
ABOUT SHEILA:
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and now residing in Texas, Sheila Bratton brings a rare blend of scholarship, advocacy, and spiritual conviction to her writing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and two master’s degrees, a foundation that has shaped a career devoted to criminal justice and social services.
For years, she has walked alongside society’s most overlooked populations—justice-involved citizens, children and families navigating foster care and adoption, juvenile offenders, pregnant women experiencing homelessness, and individuals battling addiction—offering the intensive case management their circumstances demand. She designed a reentry curriculum that she personally taught to inmates at the St. Louis City jail, and she has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at several universities, mentoring the next generation of practitioners.
In 2013, Sheila answered a call to ministry, going on to serve her church in multiple capacities. Her ministry is animated by a few Kingdom principles: to expose the schemes of the enemy, equip God’s people with the tools of spiritual warfare, and lead them toward healing and wholeness. This same passion for teaching and service has opened doors for her to preach the Word of God while tending to the practical and spiritual needs of those she serves.
She is the author of two wellness journals, Pray Thrive Goals Growth: Wellness Journal and Soul Care and Wellness Journal, and her newest work, Broken for the Battle: A Soul Care Workbook, released on June 26, 2026.
When she isn’t writing or ministering, Sheila can be found tending her garden, exploring new places, running, or simply enjoying time with family.
