Purpose Bloom

There was no such thing as listening to secular music on Sundays, Jesus was on the mainline, and prayer was key. Although I grew up in a spiritual household, my parents divorced when I was ten. Life and family began to have a new meaning and a new look. I hated the visitation set up because it interrupted my reformed life (luckily it didn’t last too long #PRAISEJESUS). The single-parent household struggle showed me what I wanted and what I didn’t want. The recession toppled on my emotions which were already out of whack. I had every reason at a young age to get consumed in sorrow. Yet, this change birthed a spiritual awakening.

I knew about God from church, school, and family; yet the aspect of having my own relationship with Christ opened me to believing and embracing something greater than myself.

God gave me purpose. What kept me sane during this season was having a church family who loved and embraced us, who spiritually nurtured us, and who physically showed up for us. My mother kept her Christ-like mindset and unwavering faith.

Every morning and every night, we would pray together as a family.

Weekly, we would go to Virginia Lake and go for walks (physical fitness is important). My sister and I didn’t develop addictions or juvenile records. What we did experience was town talk and bits of depression. This alone can be brutal. Town Talk is common in small cities or in communities of color. People either make up stories about you or the real story is aired out and continuously shared like it's the front-page news. This kind of mess can make a person go crazy. Yet we stayed covered, persevered, and we were blessed.

This is not everyone’s story; split homes and a change in social dynamics come with a cost. I’ve seen others who really jumped off the deep end. I can only imagine what everyone goes through behind closed doors, especially in a faith-based household.

Life is not all glitz and glitter, sometimes there’s broken glass. A prayer life for my mother, sister, and I got us through so much.

I explored positive affirmations from a young age. This changed my perspective on who I was, and developing high self-esteem was the greatest comfort through a turbulent time.

The struggle part of being in a single-parent household was only my mother was there to see our daily accomplishments and progress. She encouraged us to go the distance. It was hard to explain to an outside parent why prom is important, why playing sports is important, why extracurricular activities are important, and why our social lives were important. We struggled. The only thing that kept us was our individual spiritual encounters.

In high school, I was in a bad car accident. However, that situation allowed me to realize, “God will never leave me nor forsake me.” As I continued to see the world through a clear lens, my faith grew.

In spite of difficulties growing up in a single-parent household, I started to understand the concept of peace in the storm. We didn’t have everything.

Some weeks were hard to get through, yet God allowed us to live and not die in the midst.

The thought “better days will come,” a grasp to my heart; a revelation that seasons come yet seasons change. By this sound reassurance, I remained purpose-driven. I made a vow to live my life: I will reach for the stars, I will get up when I fall, I will pause when I need a moment, I will cherish others, and I will be intentional in my purpose-filled growth journey.