Back in 2013, I lost everything. My marriage, my home, my career, my calling, and the majority of my support network.
We had, in our opinion, the best life. Our present and our future were secure, and we were serving others, day in and day out. But it all went away in the blink of an eye.
Why?
In late 2011, the father of my kids committed a horrendous crime.
Sexual assault of a minor.
At first, I believed him. There’s no way my husband, a man of God, the father of my kids, could possibly do that, right? RIGHT?
I stood by him, supported him, and went to court 12 hours away over and over for more than a year. And then one day in early 2013, the lawyer dropped a massive bomb.
The DNA evidence came back. There’s no way it could have been anyone else on earth. He did it.
In one moment, just one sentence, my entire world fell apart. I knew it was over, and I knew I had to get out and take my kids with me.
I filed for divorce and came home to GA. In early 2014, he pled guilty, got probation, and immediately fled the country. Permanently removing himself from our lives and never to return.
So there I was, with nothing in the bank, no job, nothing but clothes and kids’ toys, moving into one bedroom in my dad’s house.
But I didn’t let it dictate my life or my future. I was determined to make something of myself and provide a great future for my kids.
Within a month I had a job that paid enough to get a place of our own.
I quickly earned promotions, landed better roles and higher pay, and built a career and a whole new life for us.
And everything that was taken from us a decade ago has been returned in multiples.
No matter what happened in my life- the losses, the setbacks, the tragedies, the disappointments- I got up every day determined to build my future and to never let my circumstances control my life.
If you find yourself in a difficult moment, perhaps having just lost everything…
Don’t give up. Don’t let it break you. Don’t be content with how life is.
Make conscious decisions every single day to change your future.