I remember the day she was kidnapped. I live in Utah, and it was all over the news. Her heartbroken family was pleading for her return, and I was devastated that a little girl wasn’t safe in her bedroom. I sympathized with her scared little sister who had to witness the whole kidnapping. And I prayed they would find her quickly.
Kidnapped
![[[File:Elizabeth Smart White House.jpg|Elizabeth_Smart_White_House]]](https://wp-media.patheos.com/blogs/sites/805/2025/03/640px-Elizabeth_Smart_White_House.jpg)
Miraculously, 9 months later, she was discovered alive and rescued from the demented people who had kidnapped her. The whole country celebrated. It had only been a few days earlier when I had again prayed for her safe return.
I wasn’t the only one celebrating Elizabeth Smart’s safe return. It was everywhere! The media discussed her rescue as insatiably as they had bemoaned her disappearance. It was a beautiful day! One we all needed after worrying for so long.
Elizabeth was brilliant and aided her rescuers in finding her. She wisely encouraged them to come back to Utah from California where they had been hiding out. And she signaled to bystanders that she needed help. I can’t confirm it, but I suspect that the new “help me” hand signals that are on social media could be inspired by her experience.
Rescued
![[[File:COD Presents An Evening with Elizabeth Smart (53280985325).jpg|COD_Presents_An_Evening_with_Elizabeth_Smart_(53280985325)]]](https://wp-media.patheos.com/blogs/sites/805/2025/03/COD_Presents_An_Evening_with_Elizabeth_Smart_53280985325.jpg)
I read it, and she did a beautiful job sharing her experiences without traumatizing innocent audiences. Knowing all she went through has made her accomplishments that much more significant. The second book is titled Where There’s Hope. It’s a guide to overcoming trauma and making peace with the past. I got a copy for a friend who is also a huge Elizabeth Smart fan. And she couldn’t say enough good about it.
Triumph
Not only has Elizabeth Smart written books, she is a public speaker and advocate for survivors of sexual assault and abuse. She founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to help end sexual assault and exploitation through education, healing, and advocacy. And she worked with the Department of Justice, along with other survivors, to create a guide for children who have been abducted, titled “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment”.
In 2021 Elizabeth Smart competed on The Masked Dancer and placed 8th overall. She has executive produced several Lifetime movies about other abduction survivors, including Stolen By Their Father, The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, and Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.
In the mix, she found healing. She got married and has a beautiful family. All of us who have followed her journey rejoice to see that the evil people who kidnapped and abused her failed to stop her from finding the peace and joy we all prayed she would find. Elizabeth Smart is truly one of my heroes.
I’m so grateful to see her overcome and help countless others overcome their traumas. That is what a true hero does. She turns tragedy into triumph.