Sepia Prime Woman Digital Magazine March 2014 | Page 26

LOVING
A Funny Thing Happened On the
Way To My Destiny
Pastor Traci Childress
I believe every woman has “her story,” so I
thought I would give a glimpse into my own
in relation to marriage and destiny. I hope
you find the motivation to pursue your
passion as you continue reading.
Since I was about 13 years old, I knew what
I was called to do. I loved being with people
and helping them, I loved to learn and share,
so when I viewed myself, I saw myself as a
minister; teaching, counseling, and healing
people’s lives. Interestingly enough, I was
always by myself when I imagined my life’s
work, then I met Charles. I was 14 when we
became great friends and I was not ashamed
to share my faith, and as a result he became
my first convert. Yep, I was headed on the
right path and later on, when he shared his
thoughts about marriage, I assured him that
there was a wonderful woman hand-picked
just for him. It would be four years before I
discovered I was that woman, and on April
21, 1990, I married into my destiny.
I had everything ahead of me and all was
well. I needed to get a better job to
contribute to the household finances, so I
enrolled in classes to upgrade my skills. Oh
wait, did I mention I was pregnant and
having complications, so I had to drop out a
semester? I determined to return in a year

Sepia Prime Woman

and start ministerial training but then our
apartment caught fire! Now where would we
go and what would we do? Our family was
growing and it was time for a house. Indiana
proved to be more affordable, so we bought
a house there, and then…pregnant again!
At least this time, I would remain home at
the end of the pregnancy, giving me more
time to focus on my call. And then…nope;
my husband and family had their own ideas
about how I would spend my time…“When
would someone ask me?” I wondered. Along
came girl #3, so my plan to focus on my
goals didn’t look too promising, and that’s
when it happened…
I was troubled by the seeming delays, but
one day I had an epiphany. My family was
not my problem; it was my perception that
was getting in the way. I was still seeing a
“single” version of me unencumbered, but I
had failed to realize that my children were a
part of the brilliant plan to establish me in
leadership. A greater revelation was that the
awesome things that I saw myself doing
weren’t just about the vision for MY life;
there was another life to consider. I had to
be ready to walk in 7G&V