I must be honest; this isn’t what I expected for my life. But when God has plans for your life, you just move aside and let Him have his way.

I’ll also be honest that I NEVER thought I would be a therapist. Truth is, in my mind, I only went back to get my Masters in Social Work because I was tired of struggling. I was barely surviving from paycheck to paycheck and the raises we got at work weren’t enough to cover the increase in the cost of living. I was tired of being in an entry-level position and hearing, “We would love to promote you to one of the higher level positions but because you don’t have your social work license we can’t promote you.” Do you know what that does to your spirit to constantly hear that you’re unqualified? I was tired of it all!

So I applied and was accepted to one of the nation’s top 10 social work programs. But what does that matter when you feel like you’re going through 10x more hell? Failed relationship, suicidal thoughts, losing your mom, problems on your job, rough pregnancy, issues with school, just to name a few. I was going through so much, I truly thought I was going to end up in the psych ward. I couldn’t understand why I had to go through all of this. I was just trying to make a little more money so I could take care of my children the best way that I could.

You see what I didn’t realize then that I realize now is that God had me going to two different schools – the school where I would obtain book knowledge and the school where I would obtain wisdom because of the various things that I would go through. He did that so that one year ago when He led me to open Blessings In DisguiZe Counseling & Coaching, I would have everything I needed to help every client He sent my way. It’s good to say you went to school to do something, but people want someone that I like to call real, reliable, and relatable. They want to know that you’re not doing this for the check but that this is your passion, that your dedicated to what you do. They want to know that you’re really here for them when they need you and not just a person you fit in on Tuesday at 6 PM because you’re just “squeezing them in.” And they want to know that you’re not just speaking to them because you read a book, wrote a paper, and passed a test. They want to know that you have real life experience in the things you to talk about. They want to know that you went through so they can have a little glimmer of hope that they can get through, too.

One year ago, I didn’t know that God would lead me to this point. But I’m grateful that He did. I’m thankful that He led me to the place where His plan matched my passion and met purpose. Experience met excitement. Help met healing. Blessings in DisguiZe is here to “help you help yourself” and I’m excited to see what His plans are for this next phase of the journey!

I can remember my first official day at my job. It was May 13, 2013.  I was so tired- I hadn’t slept because I was anxious, fearful, and doubting what was going to happen.  This was my fourth job in almost a year and I almost hadn’t gotten this one because of my work history.  Yet, they were willing to take a chance on me.  The pay wasn’t the greatest, but it provided better hours for me to be able to provide a more stable lifestyle for my daughter so there was no turning this down.  It was time for me to be a “big girl” and get up and go to work.

I believe that God places us in environments that will help us grow, force us to change, and pushes us into our purpose.  But, initially and throughout my time at my job, there were times I couldn’t see that.  I felt I was walking in as a failure.  I had recently failed out of a Masters program and was facing having to pay a large sum of money because I hadn’t completed all the courses.  I felt inadequate as I saw so many people moving up into new positions and I felt stuck because even when I tried to make things work, it seems like I never had the right credentials to be able to advance my career.  I felt weak because it seemed like I was in a constant fight to prove myself, to better myself, and sometimes feeling like a had to be who they wanted me to be when I wasn’t really sure who of who I was but trying to be me (that was a lot J).

But it was through all of the struggles, the fighting, and the tears that I became who I am today.  I learned who really supported me and who was just there to see if I would fail.  I found how to connect my love for Jesus with my career and not be ashamed of it.  And I learned how to stand out for who I am- a black woman making moves in social work.

I know I’m not the only one who has ever felt like, “God why are you taking me through all of this?”  There were so many times I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t because there was still work left for me to do.  I still had some growing to do.  It wasn’t my time to leave yet.  So many times we miss our blessing because we leave prematurely before God brings that chapter of our life to a close.

5 years later, this chapter of my life is coming to a close.  Nervous? Yes.  Fearful? No.  Because I know with new beginnings come new blessings and new lessons and I ready to see what the next chapter of my life has in store for me.