You are my SONshine!

How has 2020 been for you? Have you experienced depression, deep reflection, hopelessness? Don’t worry! You are not alone in feeling like you’re in a low, low valley. 

I can relate, except I didn’t find myself in a valley in 2020. My low point came in 2019. What’s interesting about my journey is that I had the credentials fit for success and elevation. I had just received my doctorate degree, been named Teacher of the Year at my college, and I had several interviews lined up, but I found myself unemployed, ostracized, and in a complete funk! 

Yet, when I uploaded my social media posts, I was smiling, and uplifting others. Here’s one of those pictures: 

Oftentimes, I would find myself crying out to GOD because I simply did not understand what I was doing wrong. Why wasn’t God answering me? When would He pull me out of the valley? What had I done so wrong? While I admit that I am not perfect, my faith in GOD was the biggest issue, and the primary reason that I found myself feeling the funk in 2019. 

You see, I have always established a goal and worked tirelessly to achieve it. You know how people say, “If you wanna see GOD laugh, tell Him your plans!” Well, I had been outlining my plans for years, and He allowed me to accomplish each goal; however, I lost sight of who He is and started believing that I had gotten there on my OWN merit! How foolish of Me! 

Then, I read the story of King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:1-15. Solomon prayed to GOD and asked Him for wisdom and understanding, which GOD vowed to give him due to his sincere prayer and selflessness. I realized that I had to get back to completely Trusting in GOD for EVERYTHING and patiently waiting for His response, but I also had to realize that GOD has the right to say NO! 

Furthermore, if you look at the picture above, you see the SON shining bright behind me, letting me know that even in the midst of my trial, HE was still shining on me! During that time, I never went without. My bills were paid on time; I purchased Christmas gifts for my family, and I grew even closer to HIM, which is what He wanted all along. Isn’t HE awesome?!