Some stories remind us that healing is not always immediate. Sometimes it unfolds over years, one faithful step at a time. For Tess Juergens, that journey has become a testimony of one simple truth: Jesus pursued her through every season of her life.

She earned a PhD in chemical engineering, spent decades teaching and consulting in innovation, creativity, project management, and goal setting, and eventually started her own consulting company. Yet behind those accomplishments was a painful personal story.

During the last 15 years of her 30-year marriage, the relationship became increasingly difficult. After moving to Northern Arizona following COVID, the situation became even worse. Although highly educated and accomplished professionally, Tess says she heard daily that she was stupid, careless, and inattentive. She carried the weight of nearly every responsibility in the home while enduring constant criticism.

Through those years, one prayer became a daily rhythm.

“Thank you, God, for pulling me out of the mucky pit.” Eventually, that prayer became, “Thank you for pulling me out of the quicksand.”

She prayed those words long before she fully realized how deeply trapped she was. Looking back, she recognizes many of the patterns of control and manipulation that had become part of everyday life. At the time, she simply kept placing her hope in God.

She also learned to notice God’s presence in simple moments. Living on the Texas Gulf Coast, she thanked Him for seagulls, beautiful sunrises, palm trees, and sunsets. Those reminders helped her keep looking toward hope, even while she remained in difficult circumstances.

When Tess finally left, she packed little more than a few clothes, a tent, a sleeping bag, and a camping chair into her car. She drove to Tucson, found an apartment, and began again.

What happened next surprised her.

As she moved into her apartment, neighbors encouraged her to visit a local church. The very first person she met there invited her to a women’s Bible study. The first Bible study she attended introduced her to a woman who became a close friend, someone who listened to her story and walked alongside her through healing.

Looking back, Tess sees God’s provision in every step.

She believes two things carried her through the darkest years: God and exercise.

She spent hours at the gym each day, finding that movement, fresh air, and time in nature helped quiet her mind. Reading Scripture, praying, spending time outdoors, and noticing God’s creation all became reminders that He had not abandoned her.

Even in the moments when she felt completely alone after the divorce, lying on the floor of her apartment and crying, she says she knew something important.

Her heart struggled to feel it, but her mind knew God was with her.

Finding a church and reconnecting with Bible study also became essential. Faith had always been part of her life since becoming a Christian as an undergraduate student, but during her marriage she often hid that part of herself. She even threw away written prayers because she feared they would be found.

Now she no longer wanted to hide her relationship with God. Instead, she wanted to spend the rest of her life serving Him.

That desire has shaped her newest writing project, Project Me: Becoming a Creative Christian Leader. Drawing from years of experience in project management and innovation, Tess uses practical tools to help people who feel stuck move forward with purpose. She explains that the book begins with core values, explores strengths, talents, and teams, then encourages readers to continue growing in their health, relationships, and walk with God.

For Tess, this book represents more than another professional accomplishment. It marks a transition toward using everything she has learned to help others discover purpose.

Perhaps the greatest change, however, has been freedom.

She describes living without the constant pressure of trying to become what someone else expected her to be. Instead of worrying about appearances before presentations or writing, she now simply asks, “God, how can You use me?”

That freedom has allowed her to pursue the person God created her to be.

Near the end of the conversation, Tess shares a piece she wrote called Jesus Pursued Me. It traces her life through loneliness, rejection, illness, abuse, heartbreak, and healing, returning again and again to the same refrain:

“Jesus pursued me.”

Her story ends with confidence instead of despair.

“I am new. I am free, not alone.”

Her encouragement to anyone who feels trapped is simple.

No matter how deep the mucky pit feels or how firmly the quicksand seems to hold you, there is hope. God has not stopped pursuing you.

To hear more of Tess’s story and Tess read “Jesus Pursued Me” be sure to check out the entire episode here> Jesus Pursued Me Episode 166.

If you have ever felt unseen, stuck, rejected, or wondered if God still has a purpose for your life, this conversation will remind you that hope is never out of reach.

Tess has a book coming out soon – “Project Me: Becoming a Creative Christian Leader”

Stay connected with Tess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresajurgens/