Throughout 17 years of teaching inner-city children Bible through Keeping Hope Alive, I have prayed for the mothers of many children. Looking into the face of a mom whose eyes were black as night, I could feel the trauma she had gone through. Even so, this mom lacked the confidence to say no, and to get out of the abusive situation. Another mom we prayed for had been beaten by her boyfriend many times, even hospitalized. However, she always went back to him. One other mom had been beaten repeatedly by her boyfriend. Some days her arms would be covered with bruises, and she always had a hollow look on her face. I would come in each week to teach Bible for the kids who stayed in this hotel. Over time I noticed small changes, gradually she wanted to read Christian books, and study the Bible more. Soon she was setting boundaries and telling her boyfriend no to things that were not appropriate. Even though her life started changing for the better, she still lacked confidence to move completely forward and out of the grip of the abusive boyfriend. After seeing abuse in the lives of mothers over and over again, lacking the confidence to get out of the dangerous situations in which they found themselves, I decided to write this book. Behind Closed Doors shares stories of women who lived in abusive situations, and how God brought them through it to the other side. It is intended to bring hope to them through the realization that God can and will help them through the circumstances they face. He will give them the confidence to keep walking, to keep saying no, and to keep trusting Him to bring them through to a new life on the other side of abuse.