I remember it like it was yesterday; the moment my entire life changed. I was 19 and had gotten invited to a New Years Eve youth revival at some megachurch I had never heard of before. I was reluctant to go because I didn’t feel like being bothered with “church folks.” I was in an abusive relationship, and I knew those same “church folks” would either look down on me or straight through me. Either way, the church hadn’t been a part of my life in years.

Like many people, I was raised in the church, but I didn’t have my own relationship with God. I just had everyone else’s. Mainly my grandmother’s. She’s such a spiritual woman and has been for as long as I can remember (except that one time when I was 5, and I heard her cuss for the first time). I thank God every day that my children are blessed to have her and can reap the benefits of her prayers and the anointing that is on her life. Raised by a single mom and my grandmother, I was either attending church with my grandmother or not at all. At 15, I decided to find a church home of my own, but all that did was left me scarred. I witnessed all the drama, gossiping, hurt, and hypocrisy that went on inside the church and was turned off completely.

However, after some convincing, I went to the revival with my 2 and a half year-old son in tow. Upon entering the church, I felt an extreme sense of peace that consumed me and made me forget all the reasons I didn’t want to go. It’s funny how God gives us what we don’t even know we need, at the moment that we need it. The pastor preached one of those “who told you my life story” sermons, and I felt compelled to speak to him immediately after service. I ended up breaking down and told him everything. He prayed with me, and it was at that moment that I knew, there had to be more to my life than what I was going through. That night, with my son laying in bed next to me, I prayed for the first time in a long time. My Bible (and praying for that matter) had become so foreign to me, that I didn’t have a clue about where to start, but I laid it out in front of me anyway and asked God to reveal how to overcome my depression.

The two scriptures that He gave me were:

Isaiah 41:10- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

Isaiah 55:11-  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  

The crazy part is my sons’ middle name is Isaiah.  

GOD HAS A WAY OF GETTING YOU TO START WITH WHAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU, INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU THINK YOU NEED TO START.

It was in the second scripture that I was given the idea to set up goals for myself. So I began writing down all the things that I wanted to accomplish in life. It was the first time since having my son that I felt hopeful and a sense of purpose. If I had something to look forward to, I had a reason to keep going. I took it a step further and broke my life goals down into smaller goals. With God, time and the help of my life goals list, I’ve not only accomplished all of the goals I set for myself that night, but I’ve also gone beyond what I thought was possible for my life. I fell down a few times since writing it, but God still saw fit to call my name and help me back up. I now have a purpose, which was within me all along and I won’t stop until the people connected to me, know that they have one too. Start setting your goals today and be intentional about living your very best life because there’s one out there for you.

If you or someone you know is dealing with depression or any other crisis, please contact Crisis Text Line by texting the word HOME to 741741 on your mobile device. For Canadian mobile users, text the work HOME to 686868.

You can also contact the national suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Until next week remember, growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone and transformations don’t happen overnight.