25

This is the smile of a woman who was resting in the joy of the Lord.

It was also the smile of a woman who was about to do life afraid.

At twenty-four, I had already told the Lord that I would follow Him no matter the cost. I meant every word of it. What I did not know was that twenty-five would become the first test of that surrender.

For as long as I could remember, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. From high school through college, my plans were set. I would become an athletic trainer. I worked hard, opened doors, built relationships, and walked confidently toward the future I had imagined for myself.

Then, the week before graduating college, I sat down to submit my graduate school applications.

And the Lord stopped me.

Not with confusion. Not with uncertainty. With clarity.

Very clearly, I felt Him say that this was not the path He had for me.

I questioned Him. I reasoned with Him. How could this be? Why would He allow so many opportunities, so many open doors, if this was not where He was leading me?

Still, I continued filling out the application.

Then, the Lord showed me something I have never forgotten.

I saw the life I thought I wanted.

I saw the career. The success. The travel. The opportunities. The financial stability. On paper, it was beautiful.

And yet, beneath it all, I saw someone unfulfilled.

I cried because I knew what I was seeing was true.

At twenty-four, I had already given God my yes.

I couldn’t ask Him to lead my life and then be surprised when He took me somewhere I never would have chosen.

Walking away from that dream hurt. I grieved what could have been. But in the grieving, I kept returning to one simple truth:

I don’t know, but God knows.

I repeated those words over and over as He gently led me into a career I never expected: teaching.

At the time, I did not understand why.

I did not understand His purpose.

I did not understand what He was building.

But now I have eyes to see.

Teaching became more than a career. It became one of the places where God would shape my heart, stretch my faith, and remind me that His plans have always been kinder than my own.

Twenty-five, you thought God was taking something from you. Looking back now, I can see He was giving you something you never knew you needed.

You said yes without knowing where the road would lead.

And that yes changed everything.