Have you ever felt God calling you into your purpose while fear and finances kept pulling you back? You know deep down that something in your life is shifting, but reality still exists. Bills still have to be paid. Families still have to eat. Survival still matters. That was exactly where I found myself in 2023.
I knew I wanted out of my career, but I also knew our family could not survive on my husband’s salary alone. For years, I had built a stable life working within the federal government, and I always assumed I would retire there one day. My plan was to remain until I was fifty-seven years old. That was the safe plan. The predictable plan. But somewhere deep inside me, God was stirring something greater.
Part of me desperately wanted to pursue my passion for construction and eventually own my own construction business. But even deeper than that, I wanted the freedom to fully step into what God was calling me to do spiritually. I could feel Him pulling on my heart, but I did not yet understand what He was building.
At the same time, my work environment had become spiritually draining. Throughout my life I had held leadership and management positions while owning businesses, working with federal agencies, and serving in different organizations. No matter the environment, I always believed people mattered. Every employee had value, regardless of their title, education, or skill level, because every person is a child of God.
That belief shaped how I led others.
But for the first time in my career, I found myself under leadership that did not value the people beneath them. Our unit constantly felt disrespected, overlooked, and unappreciated. Day after day, it felt less like a workplace issue and more like a spiritual battle. Watching others be undervalued slowly crushed my spirit because I knew God never intended people to be treated that way.
The environment became emotionally exhausting. I knew I needed to leave, so I started applying for every position I qualified for. I prayed, searched, and waited for another opportunity to open. Yet every door stayed shut. Position after position overlooked me. At first, I felt discouraged and confused. I could not understand why nothing was working out.
But looking back now, I realize God was intentionally closing doors because He had another blueprint for my life.
Then, in February of 2025, an unexpected opportunity arrived through a federal buyout. After many conversations and prayers with my husband, we decided it was the right decision. Even though I still had no clear understanding of what my future looked like, I knew something inside me was saying yes to God.
On February 27, 2025, I officially walked away from the federal government and stepped into the unknown.
One of the greatest blessings of the buyout was that I would continue receiving pay through December 31, 2025. That financial bridge gave my husband and me the opportunity to pay down a significant amount of debt before my small pension began in January 2026. Looking back now, I can clearly see how God was already making provision before I even understood the assignment He was preparing me for.
Almost immediately after retiring, I enrolled in Dr. Jamie Morgan’s Trailblazer Mentoring Network, a ninety-day mentoring program designed to equip women for ministry leadership. I knew God was calling me deeper into ministry, but I still had no idea what that would look like.
Then week seven arrived.
One assignment changed everything.
We were instructed to write an outline for what our future ministry would look like. Honestly, I panicked. I sat there staring at a blank page with no clue what to write. So I did the only thing I knew to do—I prayed.
I remember crying out to the Lord that week asking Him to show me what He wanted me to build. I asked Him to give me direction, purpose, and clarity. And then suddenly, it happened.
The Lord downloaded the entire concept into my spirit.
It was not something I strategically planned or slowly brainstormed over time. It came all at once. God took my passion for construction, my own trauma and healing journey, and my calling into ministry and merged them together into one vision.
That vision became Built to Dwell.
God showed me that people often know more about rebuilding houses than they do about rebuilding their own lives. We understand cracked foundations, damaged roofs, faulty wiring, broken windows, and unstable walls. But many people have no idea how to identify the damage trauma has caused within themselves.
The Lord began revealing how every part of construction mirrored the healing process.
The foundation represented identity.
The framework represented thoughts and internal beliefs.
The mechanical systems represented emotions, nervous systems, and unhealthy cycles.
The windows and doors represented boundaries and access points.
The roof represented protection, spiritual covering, and belief systems.
Suddenly everything connected.
God was showing me how to walk people through trauma healing and identity restoration in a tangible, understandable way using construction as the blueprint.
What overwhelmed me most was realizing that God had been preparing this long before I recognized it. Every painful season, every leadership role, every experience in construction, every moment of trauma, every closed door, and every disappointment had become part of the blueprint He was building all along.
What I once viewed as setbacks were actually preparation.
That realization changed everything for me.
It also transformed how I viewed prayer.
I truly believe prayer changes atmospheres. A life without prayer becomes like a dry riverbed—empty, cracked, and without movement. But when prayer becomes active, heaven begins moving in ways we cannot always see immediately.
I can tell when my own prayer life begins suffering. Sometimes I become too busy. Sometimes I become emotionally overwhelmed by temporary frustrations. Other times I become so focused on one difficult situation that I completely forget all the prayers God has already answered in my life.
I forget the miracles.
I forget the provision.
I forget how faithful He has always been.
And usually, the very thing consuming my mind in that moment will not even matter a year later.
Isn’t that how life works sometimes? We become consumed with temporary battles while God is quietly building eternal things behind the scenes.
Looking back now, I realize the very thing I thought was destroying me was actually repositioning me into purpose.
The frustration at work pushed me toward freedom.
The closed doors pushed me toward ministry.
The uncertainty pushed me toward deeper trust in God.
If those other jobs had opened, I may never have fully stepped into my calling. If my work environment had remained comfortable, I might never have found the courage to leave. Sometimes God allows discomfort because comfort is keeping us captive.
I now understand that before God builds through you, He often rebuilds you first.
That rebuilding process is not always easy. Sometimes it feels lonely, uncertain, and painful. Sometimes God tears down old mindsets, old identities, and old comforts before He reveals what He is truly creating. But demolition is often necessary before restoration can begin.
That is exactly how Temple was born.
It was born from prayer.
It was born from surrender.
It was born from trauma, healing, and obedience.
Most importantly, it was born from a God who specializes in rebuilding broken things.
So if you are in a season where you feel stuck between responsibility and calling, between fear and faith, I want you to know something: God has not forgotten you. The closed doors may not be rejection. The discomfort may not be punishment. The waiting may actually be construction.
Because sometimes the very thing that feels like it is falling apart is actually God rebuilding your life into something greater than you ever imagined.