Hi! My name is Laura Williams, I’m a 22 year old Christian music artist from Quakertown, PA. A lot of what I share through my music and on stage are my struggles with bullying, an eating disorder, and other mental health struggles as a young girl. When I rediscovered the Lord, our Heavenly Father, at 17, the trajectory of my life changed and I was transformed. However, being on this side of heaven, struggle and strife is still prevalent and jarring.
I fell into a deep depression when I was 14 years old as my family moved to a new town. I couldn’t make it through a full week of school my entire 8th grade year. I was isolated, hopeless, struggling to find why I should get out of bed each day. Bullied and outcasted, every waking moment felt like a battle. I was so lost in my own mind, in my own pain. I remember the support of my family and my parents being a lifeline during that time, even though they couldn’t do much other than just listen and be there. Never underestimate the power of letting your child know you are simply THERE. As time went on, and I grew older, the depression began to subside as I took life day by day and found joy and purpose in being intentional with what I spent my time and energy on. I fell into another depressive episode when I was 19, right when I knew my life was going in the direction I had always dreamt of, but yet I felt more directionless than ever. Depression does not discriminate, and it can ebb and flow depending on age, circumstance, even season to season. When you’re in the thick of it, everything feels so bleak — there never seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, there is. A website such as Horizons To Hope is an incredible place for parents and family alike who are watching their children struggle to gain access to resources that walk them through how to deal with such difficult mental health issues, and restore hope in that light at the end of the tunnel. Even in my teenage years, I believe I would’ve benefited from such a unique resource that would’ve reached me in the depths of what I felt like only I was battling.
I turned to songwriting as my outlet whenever I was going through hard times. My second single “Hurts Right Now” is an honest conversation with God about how pain and suffering can sometimes overshadow hope and even faith. It’s raw and real — exactly what God wants from you. He can handle it. Give Jesus a try 🙂
