Minister Tawanda Cobbs is sharing a deeply personal testimony of faith and restoration with the release of her new book, Broken to Be Healed, alongside a new single, “You Kept Me.”
Though expressed through two different mediums, Cobbs says the book and song carry one central message: brokenness does not have to be the end of a person’s story.
Both projects grew from Cobbs’ own journey through heartbreak, disappointment, rejection, grief and seasons in which she says God began healing areas of her heart that no one else could reach.
“Throughout that journey, the Lord showed me that our brokenness doesn’t disqualify us,” Cobbs said. “It becomes the very place where His healing begins.”
Turning Pain Into Purpose
Broken to Be Healed was written for people who may be carrying emotional and spiritual wounds privately while trying to appear whole publicly.
Cobbs said she came to understand that her testimony was not meant for her alone. By sharing what she experienced, she hopes others will recognize the possibility of healing in their own lives.
“If my story helps even one person realize that healing is possible, then every chapter was worth writing,” she said.
The title reflects a significant change in how Cobbs came to view difficult seasons. Where she once associated brokenness with weakness, she now sees surrendering pain to God as an opportunity for transformation.
“God doesn’t waste our tears, our trials, or our disappointments,” Cobbs said. “He uses them to shape us, strengthen us, and prepare us for the calling He has placed on our lives.”
That idea forms the foundation of the book: brokenness can be a beginning rather than a conclusion.
Cobbs acknowledges that when something breaks in the natural world, the instinct is often to consider it ruined. Spiritually, however, she believes brokenness can become a doorway to transformation because it forces people to confront their pain and recognize their need for God.
“Healing starts when we’re honest with Him about our pain instead of pretending we’re okay,” she said. “Brokenness isn’t God’s final destination for us, wholeness is.”
A Personal Journey of Healing
Cobbs’ message comes from lived experience.
Rather than identifying one defining moment that changed everything, she describes a season in which God began removing the things outside of her faith upon which she had built her identity.
Through that process, Cobbs said she learned that her calling was not determined by her past, mistakes or wounds.
As healing took place, new opportunities followed in ministry, writing, teaching and sharing her faith with others.
“I realized that what I had survived wasn’t meant to keep me bound,” she said. “It was meant to become part of someone else’s breakthrough.”
Cobbs describes Broken to Be Healed as more than an inspirational book. She considers it a prophetic guide and says prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit shaped the writing process.
There were times, she recalled, when she began writing with one idea in mind only for the chapter to move in an entirely different direction. Some portions emerged through prayer, tears and quiet reflection.
“I knew this wasn’t just a book I was writing; it was an assignment from God,” Cobbs said.
Her hope is that readers do more than learn about her experiences.
“I want them to encounter God’s presence,” she said. “I hope they experience healing, freedom, forgiveness, and a renewed understanding of who they are in Christ.”
“You Kept Me” Becomes the Soundtrack to the Story
While Broken to Be Healed tells the story of the process, Cobbs’ new single, “You Kept Me,” provides its musical testimony.
“The book and the song tell the same story from two different expressions,” she said. “Broken to Be Healed shares the journey of healing, while ‘You Kept Me’ is the testimony that God faithfully carried me through every season.”
The song emerged as Cobbs reflected on periods of heartbreak, uncertainty and disappointment — including moments when she did not understand what God was doing in her life.
Looking back allowed her to see those experiences differently.
“There were seasons I should have given up, but God sustained me,” Cobbs said. “Through heartbreak, uncertainty, disappointment, and moments when I didn’t understand His plan, He never left me.”
That realization became the foundation of “You Kept Me.”
Cobbs believes its message extends beyond her personal testimony because almost everyone can identify a point in life when they needed strength beyond their own.
“I believe everyone has a ‘You Kept Me’ testimony,” she said, “because we’ve all experienced moments where only God could have brought us through.”
Worship in the Midst of Pain
Music has also played a significant role in Cobbs’ personal healing.
During some of her most difficult seasons, she said there were moments when she could not find the words to pray but could still worship.
“In God’s presence, I found peace, clarity, strength, and healing,” she said.
For Cobbs, music is therefore more than performance. She considers worship a way of communicating with God and redirecting attention away from difficult circumstances and toward God’s faithfulness.
“Worship shifts my focus from my circumstances to His faithfulness,” she said. “It reminds me that God is still in control.”
That emphasis on healing is also reflected in a scripture Cobbs considers foundational to her ministry: Psalm 147:3, which declares that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
The passage informs her work through preaching, teaching, writing, music and The Life Center Organization.
Her goal, she said, is to consistently direct people toward the healing power of Jesus Christ.
Healing Is Often a Journey
Cobbs also wants to challenge misconceptions surrounding emotional and spiritual healing.
One of the biggest, she said, is the expectation that healing must happen instantly.
While Cobbs believes God can bring immediate healing, she also believes restoration frequently unfolds over time.
“Healing is often a journey, not a single moment,” she said.
Another misconception is that being healed means forgetting what happened.
For Cobbs, healing does not necessarily erase painful memories. Instead, it changes the power those memories have over a person’s life.
“True healing doesn’t erase your testimony; it changes your relationship with it,” she said. “What once wounded you no longer controls you. Instead, it becomes evidence of God’s faithfulness and a testimony that can bring hope to someone else.”
That perspective also shapes what Cobbs believes churches can do for people experiencing trauma, grief and emotional pain.
She encourages churches to create environments where individuals can speak honestly about their struggles without fear of judgment. Sometimes, she said, a hurting person does not need a quick answer as much as someone willing to listen, pray and remain present.
“When we combine biblical truth with compassion and authentic community, people begin to realize they don’t have to suffer in silence,” Cobbs said. “The church should be a place where broken people encounter the healing love of Jesus.”
Measuring Success Through Changed Lives
For Cobbs, the impact of Broken to Be Healed and “You Kept Me” cannot simply be measured through sales, streams or recognition.
The responses that matter most are from people who recognize themselves in her testimony.
She recalls hearing people say they thought they were alone until they encountered her story and realized that the lyrics of “You Kept Me” reflected their own lives.
“For me, success isn’t measured by numbers or recognition,” Cobbs said. “It’s measured by changed lives.”
That mission includes people who may never have experienced a personal relationship with Christ.
Cobbs wants them to understand that Christianity, as she sees it, does not require people to fix every part of themselves before approaching Jesus.
“He meets us exactly where we are, with our questions, our failures, our fears, and our brokenness,” she said.
Her message is that grace, forgiveness and a new beginning remain available regardless of a person’s past.
The Next Chapter
With the release of the book and single, Cobbs believes she is entering a season of expansion in ministry.
Through preaching, teaching, writing, worship and The Life Center Organization, she hopes to reach more people with a message of spiritual and emotional restoration while helping believers discover and pursue their purpose.
She also wants to help create spaces where people can experience transformation not only spiritually, but practically.
“My prayer is simply to remain faithful to whatever God entrusts to me and to point people back to Him in everything I do,” Cobbs said.
Ultimately, both Broken to Be Healed and “You Kept Me” return to the same conviction: pain does not get to write the final chapter.
For anyone currently experiencing disappointment, grief or a season that appears impossible to overcome, Cobbs offers a message grounded in what she says God has already done in her own life.
“Your current situation is not your final destination,” she said. “No matter how broken, discouraged, or hopeless you may feel today, God is still writing your story.”
And that is the testimony at the heart of Cobbs’ newest work: what appears broken can still be restored, what caused pain can ultimately serve a purpose, and what once looked like an ending can become the beginning of healing.
Broken to Be Healed: God’s Design for Love, Healing and Wholeness, is AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon!
New single, (You Kept Me) is now streaming on Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, HeartRadio, and other major streaming platforms. Coming soon to YouTube Music!
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