Her surrendering to Jesus saved her.
After spiraling into a life of addiction and prostitution to support her crack cocaine habit, one woman found herself behind bars, where she cried out to God for salvation. Janet Taylor Gwyn never anticipated that her transformative encounter with God would occur in jail, nor did she foresee that this divine intervention would lead to profound physical and spiritual healing, completely altering the trajectory of her life.
Gwyn shared her powerful story on Delafé Testimonies, a YouTube channel with over 700,000 subscribers, dedicated to compiling the largest archive of Christian testimonies. In her episode, she recounted her journey from drug addiction to becoming a devoted follower of Christ, now free from addiction and holding advanced college degrees.
Born in the Bronx, New York, Gwyn faced early life challenges, including the death of her mother at age four, which led her and her sisters to North Carolina to be raised by their devout grandmother. Tragically, her grandmother died five years later, and the girls were sent to live with an aunt. Despite being raised in a Christian household, Gwyn encountered negative influences and experienced molestation, which she kept secret for years to avoid separation from her sisters.
Gwyn’s struggles intensified as she entered her teenage years, becoming sexually active and experimenting with drugs by the age of 16. After barely graduating high school, she joined the Navy, where she served for six years and had her first child. Post-Navy life saw her attempting a modeling career and eventually moving to San Diego, where she became deeply involved with crack cocaine.
Her addiction led to a transient lifestyle, moving from place to place in hopes of a better life. However, her addiction followed her, leading her to Florida, where she became involved with an abusive partner and had her third child. To fund her addiction, Gwyn turned to prostitution, living this way for four years before being sent back home on probation.
Back in her hometown, Gwyn continued her life of addiction and street prostitution, frequently in and out of jail. It wasn’t until 1994, during one of her incarcerations, that she experienced a profound spiritual awakening. While on laundry duty, a Gospel song on the radio moved her to tears and prayer, leading her to seek forgiveness and salvation from God.
From that moment, Gwyn’s life began to change dramatically. She has maintained sobriety for 30 years and mended relationships with her children, from whom she had lost custody during her struggles. Gwyn pursued education fervently, becoming a high school English teacher, later earning her master’s degree, and eventually attaining a doctorate, transforming her from a former street prostitute to Dr. Janet Taylor Gwyn.
Reflecting on her journey, Gwyn attributes her transformation to the grace of God, emphasizing that her life is a testament to His power to create beauty from brokenness. She hopes her story inspires others to trust in God’s ability to turn any life around for His glory.