I came across a quote from Joan of Arc a couple days ago, it said “I am not afraid… I was born to do this.” Before we were even conceived, God already had a plan for us to be born and a path for us to follow. When I realized my God given purpose though, that’s when all fear faded away, because I was born to do this.

I am a firstborn. I grew up in a Christian Protestant household. I used to read my Bible out loud in the middle of the living room. I was an asthma and an eczema kid. I lost my left side hearing due to antibiotics I got when I was a baby. My health didn’t stop me though. I became a book worm, read complete encyclopedias, and excelled in school.

I attended an all-girls private school. I was bullied and I cried a lot about it, but then I found my ground and my strength and turned it all around. I worked full time and put myself through college. I traveled to a few places, then left my hometown and my country and married my husband.

My husband was awesome but he was also an alcoholic. We went through happy times, infertility, difficult times. I became a nurse. I became a mom. I became a widow. I became a single parent. We went through moves, illnesses, deaths, heartbreaks, car accidents, house accidents, bank accidents. I never asked God why.

Every single thing that has happened in my life since I was born, was already written in God’s book. Every single little and big thing. I learned early on that you can get wet when you step out of the umbrella. Stepping out of God’s umbrella means trouble. So I stayed near God. Still, things happened. I learned that there is a test in testimony.

I looked around, and nothing happened to those around me, yet I always had something happening to us. I realized God wanted me to hold on to Him tighter, a lot tighter. I realized God wanted my complete trust in Him. I realized God wanted my whole faith in Him. I realized I had to pray harder. I realized I had to read His Word and learn more from it.

I have heard several times that it’s all in the eye of the beholder, so I realized it’s my attitude that matters. It’s not what happens to me, it’s what I can learn from this. It’s what I do when something happens to me. I run to God, I look at God, I talk to God, I pray to God. God brings peace to my mind and my heart. God leads me to where He wants me to go to.

Once I realized that God had planned for me to be born, for me to go through little things and huge things in life, for me to learn many lessons, for me to share those lessons with others, for me to help others, for me to bring His Word and His Gospel to others, it was then that I figured it out. This was the purpose God had for me all along.

God is with me.

God gave me a purpose

I am not afraid.

I was born to do this.