There was a time when sorrow was my identity. Addiction, trauma, and grief left me drowning in hopelessness—until Jesus pulled me out. In this episode of Born to Be a Butterfly, Nina Pajonas shares how Christ took her from the “sea of sorrow” to the “sea of salvation.”

Through her personal story of recovery, faith, and transformation, Nina explores what it truly means to be anchored in Christ. She unpacks how the right anchor can hold us steady, while the wrong one will weigh us down, and why peace is not the absence of the storm but the presence of Jesus in the middle of it.

This message is for anyone who feels overwhelmed by life’s waves. You’ll be encouraged to release false anchors, embrace God’s love, and rest in the truth that when Christ is your anchor, you can float in faith—even in the fiercest storms.

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📖 Want to go even deeper? My memoir, From Broken to Butterfly, is available now on Amazon!

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Born to be a Butterfly © 2025 Nina Pajonas. All rights reserved. This content is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Full disclaimer available at ninapajonas.com.

There was a time in my life when I was drowning.

Not physically,

but emotionally,

spiritually, and mentally.

I was caught in addiction, brokenness,

shame, and grief.

Every time I thought I was coming up for air, the weight of what I was carrying would pull me back down.

It was killing me. It was dragging me deeper into hopelessness. But then Jesus reached in and pulled me out.

Welcome to Born to Be a Butterfly, where we embrace healing and growth in Christ so that we can experience true transformation.

My name is Nina Pajones, and today's episode is titled Anchored in Christ. From Sorrow to Salvation.

When I finally sought help for my alcoholism, I went to rehab. And while I was there, I was asked to create a body map, which was essentially a drawing showing how I felt in active addiction.

In the picture, I drew myself partially submerged in a body of water that I called sea of Sorrow. I also drew an anchor around my ankle, and when my therapist asked me about it, I told him that the anchor represented my addiction.

I explained that's what it felt like when I was drinking.

I was so proud of that picture because it perfectly represented how I had felt and also what I knew I never wanted to feel again.

The reason I felt like I was drowning in the sea of sorrow was because I had suffered condensed and severe trauma.

And as hard as I tried to move forward,

I just couldn't, at least not in a healthy way.

Sadly, I was never the same afterward.

It didn't happen overnight, but eventually those tragedies began to define me and sorrow became my identity.

I started drinking heavily because I believed that my life would be a series of tragic events.

I constantly braced myself for more pain and more trauma.

I didn't just fear that bad things would happen to me. I expected them to.

By succumbing to sorrow, I had allowed it to saturate my soul.

But, praise be to God, during my recovery, I went from drowning in that sea of sorrow to swimming in the sea of salvation.

Although I take no credit for such a tremendous transition and transformation,

I have our Lord and Savior to thank for that.

His love and mercy for my soul took me out of one and delivered me to the other.

Let me be clear.

Jesus didn't just heal me. He put me back together and made me whole again.

Then, of course, he went even further. Because Christ will never leave you where you are or as you are.

Through his sovereignty, he transformed me as a new creation in Christ. I don't think the same or behave the same, which is as it should be.

My soul is no longer saturated with sorrow.

Instead Most days it's filled with laughter and joy.

Now I'm happy to say that there is a new anchor in my life, and his name is Jesus.

So let's discuss anchors.

Who or what are you anchored to?

An anchor can do one of two things. It can hold you steady, or it can weigh you down.

What matters is what you're anchored to.

If you're anchored to pain, to people, to performance,

it will pull you under. But if you're anchored in Christ, he will keep you afloat even in the worst storm.

The difference?

When the Lord is your anchor, you're no longer trying to survive on your own. You're in the lifeboat of his love, and he carries you.

Now, don't get me wrong. Just because I'm in the sea of salvation now doesn't mean everything's easy. There are still storms. The enemy still comes in, like a shark circling, trying to pull me down again.

As children of Christ, we're going to still suffer attacks.

That's part of our walk.

Jesus talks about it in Scripture. He warns us, if you will, that following him will not be easy. And why is that?

Because the spirit of the living God lives inside of us.

That means the enemy doesn't see us as weak, broken people,

but as threats. He sees the light in you, the purpose in you, the power in you.

That's why he tries to drown you. That's why he tries to distract you and destroy you.

But he can't win, because Jesus Already has Ephesians 4, 14 and IV.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Sometimes the enemy will use people to hurt you.

It's an unfortunate truth.

We must remember that Scripture tells us we do not wrestle with flesh and blood.

I'll refer to Ephesians 6, 10, 14.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you've done everything to stand.

It can be very tiring and beyond frustrating when we deal with attacks from the enemy as children of Christ.

But what's so Important for us to remember is that we're not alone.

We have a Savior who wants to help us, who will protect us.

We have Jesus.

We have community.

And we must remember that the reason we're getting attacked in the first place is because we have purpose.

We have great purpose in the kingdom.

So let us not grow weary. All we need to do is turn to the One who knows the beginning from the end.

So when the waves rise up, don't panic.

Remember when Jesus calmed the storm.

I'll refer to Matthew 8, 23, 27.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

Suddenly, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.

But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, lord, save us, we're going to drown.

He replied, you of little faith. Why are you so afraid?

Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Peace isn't the absence of the storm.

Peace is the presence of Christ in the storm.

When our faith is at its fullest, we can float.

Think about that. Floating is a position of surrender and trust,

of rest and relaxation.

You can rest when you believe that Jesus is holding you. You can float when you're anchored in Him.

That's the goal. No panic, just peace.

Floating in faith, even in the middle of raging waters.

The other day I was writing down some of my ideas for today's episode, and a very old song came to my mind,

seemingly out of nowhere. But I believe it welled up from the depths of my soul because I was writing about the sea of salvation.

The song that came to my mind was Sea of Love, and before I knew it, I sang it softly to myself.

Come with me, my love to the sea the sea of love I want to tell you just how much I love you it felt like God was telling me that the sea of salvation is the sea of love,

which makes perfect sense,

because God is love.

Ever since that day, I find myself humming or singing it daily.

It's my reminder that God's love surrounds me constantly. And if I'm struggling with something, I only need to take a moment and reach out in prayer to feel his presence.

Maybe you can use it as a reminder, too.

Now I'd like to ask you a few questions, and I hope when you reflect on them that you pause between each one and let the Lord speak to you.

What has been anchoring you lately?

Is it the Lord or something else?

When the storms of life come, are you panicking or are you remembering who's in your boat.

And if you find that you are panicking lately,

try praying when you do.

And lastly,

how can you strengthen your spiritual muscles today?

Maybe you could read the Bible more, or maybe you could start reading devotionals with your sisters in Christ.

Maybe you can create a text thread with one of your sisters in Christ or multiple sisters in Christ and send out a devotional for the day or for the week and discuss it throughout the week.

There are different ways that we can interact with the community of Christ. There are different ways that we can keep ourselves firmly anchored in the Word. And it helps when we have accountability,

right? So having somebody who's doing that with you, it makes it easier because, number one, you're both doing it together and it's enjoyable when you can share something like that with your sister in Christ.

But number two, like I said, it holds you accountable.

So let's say you happen to forget to read the devotional that day or discuss what you thought about the devotional that day. Your sister in Christ can reach out to you and say, hey, I'm just popping in.

Did you get to read that? Or what were your thoughts on it? I was thinking X, Y and Z, and I kind of applied it today in a situation at work or at school.

It just. It really does help when we do things like that in community.

So that's a suggestion I wanted to make. If you want to work on strengthening your spiritual muscles, there's different ways that you can do it. You can be creative. It doesn't just mean you have to sit down and read the Bible by yourself every day at a selected time.

You could sing worship music in your car. You can do the devotionals in a group text message. There's different ways that you can surround yourself with healthy spiritual practices.

So keep that in mind and maybe try implementing a few of those things.

I'll say for myself that I find that there's a big difference. When I start my day in prayer immediately when I wake up, but also when I'm listening to worship music on the way to work and home from work.

When I begin my day in that posture and then continue it with worship to the Lord on my way to work or wherever I'm going,

it makes a big difference.

I feel spiritually fortified when I get out of my vehicle. I feel like I've just gotten an influx of positivity and focus on Christ.

It encourages me immediately, and I'm telling you, it makes a big difference in my entire day.

So don't minimize something as simple as worshiping in your car.

Don't minimize singing at the top of your lungs to our Savior. Do not minimize that. It is beautiful. It is worship.

And I truly believe it is very welcomed by our Lord and Savior.

I am sure they're very happy to hear that in the heavenly realms.

And don't worry if you don't sing well. And don't worry if you crack a note.

None of that matters. All that matters is your heart.

All that matters is your intention.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for reaching into the depths of our sorrow and pulling us into the sea of your love.

You are our anchor,

our lifebone, our Savior.

When the waves rise and the winds roar, we will trust in you.

We thank you, Lord, that we are no longer drowning and that we can float in faith,

held steady by your presence.

Please remind us that we are not alone.

In your most beautiful holy name we pray.

Amen.

Thank you for joining me today.

If this episode blessed you, please share it with someone who might need it. If you haven't yet, please follow Born to Be a Butterfly so you don't miss the next episode.

And if you'd like to learn more about my story of transformation, you could purchase my book, From Broken to Butterfly on Amazon.

Until next time, remember,

the Lord can turn your wounds into wings. You were born to be a butterfly.