My day is officially off the rails. I have two massive bottles of water sitting in front of me like security guards, and I ate breakfast at dawn because I knew if I didn’t, today’s workload would force me into an accidental intermittent fasting routine.
When on earth did I become this much of an adult? I swear just a few months ago I was ironing an outfit for a job interview. Fast forward to right now, and I’m driving across the country, leading new projects, running as the head writer and editor of a new newsletter, and having people pull up to my desk asking for advice on their own publications. I am preparing to present in front of the executives, and I am personally responsible for bringing 3rd stream money into this organization. Please take this as a live update!
On top of all that, I am signing for TEMU packages every two days because I bought new things for a property I own. Yes, your girl is officially a homeowner! I am helping my little brother get through university, all while actively going to therapy because let’s be honest, slipping into madness is entirely too easy these days. I am currently the proud mother of two beautiful plants, with a colleague set to hand over eight more. I am absurdly excited about this plant takeover. Oh, and I’m out here fighting off men like they are a plague. Who called you all? Who said I was easy? Who told you I wouldn’t hold you accountable to every word you spit while running game on me? You clearly haven’t heard about me yet!
All of these things are happening to me at once. They affect how I feel, how I interact with people, how I manage stress, and how I wake up every single morning to tackle another problem without throwing in the towel. And that’s not just because my mother didn’t raise a punk, but simply because my God is good.
It is completely impossible for me to tell my story and leave God out of it. He is where it all starts, and He is where it will ultimately end. At least for me, I don’t know about your personal theology!
So allow me to brag about how good He is for a moment.
God is so beautiful that He literally broke my heart. He dragged me out of places I thought I deserved to be in and separated me from relationships I thought were good for me, just to save my soul. You see, God could have easily let me stay in those situations just to spare my feelings in the moment. He knew how deeply I loved them and how badly I wanted things to work. But my God made it so uncomfortable for me to stay. He saw the betrayal coming, He knew they wouldn’t reciprocate, and He knew they wouldn’t even lift a finger to make things right. He knew I deserved better, even when I was out here selling myself short. He orchestrated a divine separation. Now that is a Beautiful Father!
Maybe you know that feeling all too well. Maybe you’re reading this right now while nursing a quiet heartbreak of your own, staring at a closed door you prayed so hard would stay open, or trying to make sense of a delay, a loss, or a direction change you didn’t ask for. It hurts to let go of what felt like a dream. But sometimes what feels like a devastating loss is actually God stepping in to protect what you couldn’t see coming.
He is such a Beautiful Father that He made me a stubborn fighter and a sharp observer. Even when it hurts that I struggle to let go, my God knew I would be born into my family, and He knew they needed a girl who would get educated and show everyone else that it is possible. She was going to face obstacles, but her head needed to be hard, a persistent and stubborn force. Behold, I emerged, and it was all through God’s word!
I can almost picture the conversation in heaven: “Listen, give her extra melanin. She’s going to need it for those long NSFAS queues! But give her strong feet too, because she’s going to carry a Master’s degree and a PhD later on.”
God, I see the vision! What a Beautiful Father. In the book of Jeremiah, He promises that His plans for us are good. Don’t ever doubt that. His plans are infinitely better than anything we could try to plan for ourselves, so let Him lead. He has your back way more than anyone else you’re trying to rely on.
A lot has broken my heart along the way. One time, I walked into my house and just sobbed. I didn’t even fully understand why I was crying. I just crawled onto that cold tile in my kitchen and cried a whole river. I wept until my eyes were swollen shut and my throat was dry.
Then it hit me: earlier that week, I had asked God to help me release tension. I had been hit with so many life changes without a single second to just be soft. Everything was happening at lightning speed. It was a blessed season, but it demanded everything from me: a new home, family tombstone unveilings, and starting a new program at school on top of my Master’s workload. Even though I knew I was strong, I didn’t realize how much it was going to drain me. I needed to catch my breath, but life wasn’t slowing down.
So I had offered up a quick prayer: “God, help me de-stress, because I feel like I’m about to crash and burn.”
What a wild prayer to pray, right? Most people would just book a massage or take a bath without dragging God into it! But He is the God of everything. If He built me, He knows my exact breaking point. As a woman who goes to therapy, I can tell you I’ve never cried like that in a paid session. God meeting me on my kitchen floor was the ultimate therapy. I felt an overwhelming wave of love, peace, and total assurance right after. It was like God was gently saying, “Cry it out. I never said you had to hold it together all the time. Release it, wipe your face, and get back up. I’ve got you.”
He is a Beautiful Father. You don’t need to act tough when you come to Him. I don’t know who taught you to hide your pain, or who made you think you aren’t allowed to break, mourn, or be weak. I don’t know if you’re currently overwhelmed by work, carrying the heavy financial weight of your family, struggling through a demanding degree, or just feeling completely exhausted from trying to look strong for everyone else. But if you are going to fall apart, make sure you fall straight into God’s hands. I would much rather break down in His embrace than pretend to be strong for a world that isn’t even paying attention.
So cry if you need to cry. Feel whatever you need to feel, and tell Him all about it. He can handle your messy emotions, your burn-out, your anxiety, and your stubborn heart.
You don’t have to carry the whole world on your shoulders today. You don’t have to have every answer figured out by tonight. You just have to let the One who built it carry you. Take a deep breath, drop your shoulders, and rest knowing that every single chapter of your story is being completed by Him.
Because one day, when I am in my coffin, with my organs donated to give someone else a second chance and my cold body laying there for final goodbyes, I know it will mark the end of a life where God was fully, undeniably present. My end will tell a God story. That body will be living proof that God is good straight to the final breath. It will be the grand finale of a beautiful life given, sustained, and completed by a Beautiful Father.
Even in the end—especially in the end—He is good.