Many years ago, I worked with military personnel in a hospital, shortly after I had a spiritual awakening. At that time, I was still a babe in Christ. I wanted to give everybody Jesus. Before I ever approached a bedside, I would quietly pray. Then, when I spoke to them, they were surprisingly open and receptive.
I’ve always had this ability to talk to people and lift their spirits. For a long time, I thought it was just my “Carol Burnett” sense of humor and my naturally cheerful personality. If someone was sad, I would meet them where they were—and somehow, by the end of the conversation, they would be smiling or at least feeling lighter. That’s just an inherent ability I’ve always had.
Now I understand it differently. I believe God gives us specific gifts to use to help others because He knows exactly what we have walked through in life. In truth, I do not want anyone to feel the way I felt growing up or in some of the relationships I’ve had. Out of that pain, God birthed in me a deep desire to comfort, encourage, and bring light to others, so they know they are seen, valued, and loved.
Along that journey, I stopped at a ministry in Georgia where I drew closer to God in a very real way. There, I met a woman named Pastor Debbie. She was both a pastor and a psychologist, and the conversations I had with her left a profound impression on my soul. She carried such a beautiful spirit that it often felt as if God Himself was sitting with us while we talked.
Pastor Debbie became a quiet, powerful influence on my life. She stirred something in me—a desire to pursue both a PsyD and a PhD in Divinity. Although I have not yet obtained those degrees, I can honestly say that life itself has educated me, both mentally and spiritually. I am beginning to think that perhaps God does not need me to chase titles, because He has given me real-world experience with people.
Throughout my life, people have opened up to me and shared very private things—truths and hurts that I have never repeated. Understanding different cultures and faiths has broadened my perspective even more. Meeting people of different races and backgrounds showed me that it is not me they are drawn to, but the spirit within me. God has used my journey, my pain, my curiosity, and my love for people as a living classroom. And in that classroom, He has been both Teacher and Counselor, shaping me into who I am today.
Coming back to Tennessee after being gone for five years, I felt judged simply because I left. It was as if my decision to follow God’s call and step away had somehow offended people who never left at all. But the truth is, we each have our own journey. God’s purpose for me may not look anything like yours.
I genuinely love people. I believe the way God shaped my personality, attending a culturally diverse high school, and overcoming so many challenges in life has made me a better woman. Ironically, the people who have always “known of me” tend to judge the harshest. They remember who I was, but they don’t always recognize who I am becoming.
Yet we all have the ability to change and grow. For me, when God knocked on the door of my soul, I didn’t really have a choice. On my way to Georgia, the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “Where can you go to get away from Me?” I looked around, and everyone on the bus was asleep. That’s when I realized the Holy Spirit was speaking directly to me. He had been there all along—inside me.
In that moment, I understood that His call could not be escaped. So, I surrendered.
Now I stand strong in my purpose. My story may not look like anyone else’s, but it doesn’t have to. I am who God says I am. I am a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
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