10 Years, 10 Stories: Story #1 - From Storm to Sunrise: Choosing Life Beyond the Storm
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Ten years ago, I took a leap of faith and created my coaching business. In celebration of my 10 years, I am sharing nuggets of my life with you. My prayer is that my stories will not only encourage and inspire you, but support and strengthen your own journey. Whether you are in a good place, and this shines light on you today, or you are in a dark place, and you can’t see tomorrow as a possibility. I am here to tell you that, yes, with God there is hope, and in that hope you can find healing. In His love, His strength, His renewal upon you, tomorrow is not only possible, it’s a place where you too can shine, and not only exist, but flourish in abundance.
I start my story when I launched my coaching business, but that is not where my real story begins. My story started on a glorious day in Bible camp, but that story will wait for another day.
You might have heard phrases, such as:
My mess became my message.
My struggle became my story.
My pain, my purpose.
I deeply resonate, and it seems I am not the only one that relates with these universal aphorisms. But, our stories, nonetheless, are unique to us. They are what make us both similar and different.
Christian artist, Mandisa, used to say that “we all bleed the same.” Pain is pain and struggle is struggle, yet we were all created to flourish, to have the abundant life. That is where my purpose arises; from the abundant life that God created for me. We learn from Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:18 that each person is uniquely created by God for a specific purpose, "But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design."
Difficulties are difficult, yet how we choose to respond to our story is up to us. This is why you hear “victory” stories. One I tell often was when my friend Cherie and I went to a women’s conference. One speaker in particular stood out to me. He, interestingly, was a doctor. I say “interestingly” because, his topic was what didn’t kill him saved his life.
The man standing before us on stage was a young man, maybe 30’s, and he looked healthy. He had a picture on the screen of a man who had landed in the emergency room. He told the story of this man who was 600 pounds and on nine different types of medications. As he told his story, he then said – that was me. That day he had to make a decision to either take control of his life or it would take his. Obviously, that day he landed in the emergency room and almost died, was also the beginning of the day when he began to live again.
Where I’m going with this is that once upon a time, my story too was leading me toward an unhappy ending. It was not the same trajectory as the doctor’s story. I wasn’t overweight and on medications, however my parent’s divorce led me to a dark storm that eventually led me to a fork in the road. Do I continue on this path that leads to death or do I choose the path that leads to the purpose my Heavenly Father created me to live, which leads to an abundant life.
Since I am writing this story and since I am a coach today, you might have guessed which path I chose. I left that dark and stormy shore to follow the footsteps my Father set before me, and I have never looked back. My pain became the launching pad that set me on a course that was flourishing and fulfilling. The path that once had flowers that were wilted and dying were now sprouting and full of sunshine.
I have studied psychology most of my life. I started that journey because I was in pain and I wanted to understand me and why. The questions were endless, because most children want their parents to get back together. They don’t want another answer; a different ending. I had to come to accept that that family unit was no more. I had to not only acknowledge, but to let go and surrender, and grieve, and to believe that a new life was possible. When you are 16 years old and you have a plethora of teen hormones exploding in your body and your brain is not fully developed, your emotions feel like a volcano has erupted inside of you. And, you wonder if the pain will ever end.
Fast forward through the heavy storm. I had recently graduated with my psychology degree with the intention of continuing my education and begin a career in the counseling field. I was attending a Christian marital conference because I wanted to meet Dr. Gary Chapman, the creator of the 5 Love Languages. Little did I know that my next adventure and God’s calling would be knocking at the door at this event, which is where I first discovered the coaching arena. I knew nothing of it before then, but I jumped in full heartily.
What once started as a gig to help people with their goals, career path, and marriage struggles became a safe haven where I now get to bring the light of Jesus to hurting hearts, where they encounter hope, healing, and soar to better, brighter days.
Through my journey, I’ve learned that difficulties are difficult, but how we respond to them shapes our story. I’ve seen firsthand that with God, hope is always possible, and in that hope, healing and growth can flourish.
Now, I want to turn the conversation to you:
What storms in your life have shaped the person you are today?
How has a past struggle become a launching pad for growth or purpose in your life?
When you look back, how has God’s guidance shown up in your journey?
Is there a part of your story you’re still learning to surrender and trust Him with?
Who or what has inspired you to keep moving forward when life felt heavy?
What’s one step you can take today toward hope, healing, or purpose?
Who in your life needs to hear a message of hope today, and how can you be that messenger?
Choosing a new path is possible. It begins with one step that leads to hope, healing, and growth.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share one moment where hope began to shine in your story.
“Those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40-31
#ChristianMentalHealthCoach #FaithJourney #GodsPurpose #MentalHealthandFaith #ChristianInspiration #OvercomingStruggles #AbundantLifeInChrist #HopeInChrist #ChristianCoaching #FaithandMentalHealth
Comments