When I was a young girl, I wanted to become a teacher. When I was a teenager, I just wanted to graduate high school and attend college. Underneath those two wishes, there was a deeper need to feel safe and to stop hurting.

When I was a young girl, there would be countless school programs that I wanted to be in. In my primary grades, I couldn’t muster up the courage. However, when I reached sixth grade, there was a very bubbly music teacher named Mrs. Muhammad who encouraged me to join my school chorus.

Have you been encountering challenging times lately? Have you looked at your current circumstances and wondered why misfortune seems to be a ringtone? You may be surprised to hear that it’s being done on purpose.

During a recent trip back home, I strolled through the train station, admiring the vendors and the familiar wave of hasty pedestrians. As I entered the waiting room, a heaviness gripped me that I couldn’t shake.

Life is sure to place us upon a board of chess. Whether we cohabitate grief or marry faith during our experiences will determine the end of our story.

The circumstances in our life are never an accident. More than likely, the things that happen to you are part of a bigger plan to give you the life that you’ve always dreamed of. Another thing to consider is that the harder things are for you, the more God has for you to learn.