Living Proof of Grace: From Breaking Point to Breakthrough
Welcome back to our last week of Carried by Grace journey, we're talking about what it means to be Living Proof of Grace. I open up about a season where I almost gave up on everything including life and how God carried me through. His grace didn’t just restore me it gave me a new assignment.
In this episode, I share:
- A testimony of walking through depression and burnout
- How one prayer broke the darkness and opened the door to healing
- How The Transformational Teacher was birthed in the middle of my mess
- How healing came from God, community, surrender, and obedience
Reflection Question: What area is God still healing in me—and how can I trust Him more deeply in it?
📝Want to go deeper? Your FREE Carried by Grace Companion Journal includes these prompts plus extra space to reflect, pray, and respond this week. Download your FREE Carried by Grace Companion Journal
📖 Grab Your Copy of Waves of Grace: Be inspired by real stories of God’s faithfulness including mine. In my chapter, ‘It Is Well: Finding Peace and Purpose in the Storm,’ I share how God walked me through depression, burnout, and identity loss and how He gave it all purpose. Click Here To Grab Your Copy!
🌐 Explore More: Visit TheTransformationalTeacher.com for faith-based resources to equip you in your calling.
📩 Be sure to subscribe to my email list for upcoming events and updates! Click Here To Subscribe.
💬 Connect & Share: Instagram: @thetransformationalteacher DM me and let me know how this episode spoke to your heart today.
🎧 Subscribe & Share: Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of faith-filled encouragement, spiritual strategies, and Kingdom purpose inspiration.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the Transformational Teacher podcast.
Speaker A:I am your host, detoya, and as always, thank you so much for joining us on this episode.
Speaker A:We are on our last week of our Carried by Grace journey.
Speaker A:It has been such an honor to walk through this with you all.
Speaker A:Last week we talked about how God's grace positions us for our assignment and how we have to come in alignment with what he has for us.
Speaker A:This week, we're leaning into how the same grace shapes us in the process.
Speaker A:How God is with us even through the pain.
Speaker A:When you walk with him through every season, yes, even the hard ones, you don't come out the same.
Speaker A:You come out refined.
Speaker A:You come out stronger and filled with wisdom you didn't have before.
Speaker A:Yes, it takes work.
Speaker A:Yes, it requires surrender.
Speaker A:But when you give it to God, yes, even those messy parts, even the broken pieces, he takes it and turns it into something beautiful.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:That is the thing about God.
Speaker A:He's such a loving father to us.
Speaker A:He wants to help us in every season that we're in.
Speaker A:But we have to embrace him and invite him into every season of our lives.
Speaker A:I know sometimes our problem can seem so much bigger than our God is.
Speaker A:But here's the thing.
Speaker A:God is so much bigger than any problem we face.
Speaker A:He can handle anything.
Speaker A:Isaiah 43:2, it says, when you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
Speaker A:When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
Speaker A:When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up.
Speaker A:The flames will not consume you.
Speaker A:So again, God is there with you.
Speaker A:Those situations, they cannot take you out.
Speaker A:When you are walking with him, when you are doing things his way, when you are allowing those right people in your life to.
Speaker A:To help you, he doesn't just bring us through.
Speaker A:He transforms us.
Speaker A:In the process, he refines us.
Speaker A:He strengthens us and calls us higher.
Speaker A:But only if we allow him to.
Speaker A:We have to embrace Him.
Speaker A:We have to do our part.
Speaker A:We have to sit with him daily.
Speaker A:We have to fill ourselves up.
Speaker A:So whatever comes our way, it cannot shake us.
Speaker A:It cannot take us out.
Speaker A:I remember a season where burnout was setting in.
Speaker A:Depression was there thoughts I never imagined I would have.
Speaker A:I felt unseen.
Speaker A:I was exhausted, and I felt like I was drowning, like the storm was taking over.
Speaker A:But here's the thing about God.
Speaker A:He wouldn't let me walk away.
Speaker A:He wouldn't allow the storms of life to take me out.
Speaker A:I remember sitting in the bathroom saying, God, I don't want to be here anymore.
Speaker A:And it wasn't just about teaching it was life in general.
Speaker A:I was tired.
Speaker A:I wanted to give up on life.
Speaker A:I said, God, I don't want it.
Speaker A:I don't want to be here.
Speaker A:But even in that moment, God was there.
Speaker A:God was right there for me.
Speaker A:He sent someone across my path before I left that schoolhouse.
Speaker A:We had prayer that evening.
Speaker A:And the person that was praying, they spoke directly to the very thoughts I had cried out to God about.
Speaker A:It was like God was telling me, I hear you, daughter.
Speaker A:I'm here now.
Speaker A:That moment, it didn't fix everything, but it broke something within me.
Speaker A:It broke that dark spirit that was there.
Speaker A:Darkness lost its grip, that oppressive thought pattern.
Speaker A:It broke.
Speaker A:It broke.
Speaker A:And I am so thankful that it did.
Speaker A:And here's the thing, God, he kept nudging me to pray even when I had no words.
Speaker A:Sometimes I would even hear my pastor's voice echo in my mind when I was about to give up.
Speaker A:When thoughts would come, it was like I was hearing my pastor's voice voice.
Speaker A:God would send people to encourage me again.
Speaker A:Like I said that evening in prayer, the person prayed about those very thoughts I was having.
Speaker A:He sent people from church before to send me a message.
Speaker A:Friends, colleagues, and guess what?
Speaker A:Even my students.
Speaker A:They have played such a vital role in my life.
Speaker A:It's amazing how God can use anyone.
Speaker A:And I began to see that God really loves me.
Speaker A:And cuz he kept sending people my way.
Speaker A:Like daughter, I see you.
Speaker A:I got you.
Speaker A:You got to trust me.
Speaker A:Little by little, I learned how to invite him in.
Speaker A:I learned how to invite him into every situation.
Speaker A:I learned to lean into his presence and trust his promise.
Speaker A:I discovered that God is the most faithful and trustworthy person on the earth.
Speaker A:He is the most trustworthy person that is there for us.
Speaker A:And as I lean in, peace came, strength came, clarity came.
Speaker A:And yes, I'm still growing.
Speaker A:I'm still learning to lean even more in every season because I believe we never stop growing.
Speaker A:And there's always a deeper place to go in with God.
Speaker A:We can go deeper in his word, deeper in his presence.
Speaker A:We can grow in our prayer life.
Speaker A:And I'm learning again to trust him in every area of my life.
Speaker A:Because I've seen God show up in my health.
Speaker A:I've seen him show up in my classroom, in, in my marriage.
Speaker A:I seen him help me in my calling.
Speaker A:And oh boy, those finances.
Speaker A:He's helped me out so much.
Speaker A:But that's the area he's still helping me in.
Speaker A:He's still helping me to grow in that area.
Speaker A:I'm having to surrender more to Him.
Speaker A:Truth is, I've learned that I need to lean on him in every area of my life, every part of my being.
Speaker A:Because God's grace doesn't just carry us through one thing, it carries us through everything.
Speaker A:Everything.
Speaker A:So you've been through some things in life, things are going good, something else may come.
Speaker A:But you have to pull back on those testimonies.
Speaker A:Pull back where you've seen God's grace at and let that be your reminder that just as God got me out of this situation before or a situation similar, he's still there and he can get me out again.
Speaker A:And when we finally let him into every area, he begins to heal.
Speaker A:He begins to heal those places that we've been trying to hold on to, that we haven't let out to Him.
Speaker A:But here is the thing.
Speaker A:God can handle anything.
Speaker A:So I encourage you, pour your heart out to God.
Speaker A:Allow him to heal those deep areas, those deep wounds that are still hurting.
Speaker A:Let God in.
Speaker A:And here is the thing.
Speaker A:Even with me, I didn't do this on my own.
Speaker A:Truthfully, there are still areas again that I'm growing in.
Speaker A:There are still walls that are being torn down.
Speaker A:But I'm not who I used to be.
Speaker A:And I'm so thankful for that.
Speaker A:Because by God's grace, I'm in a better place.
Speaker A:And again, I didn't do alone.
Speaker A:It took God first and foremost, but it also took the covering of my pastor and first lady.
Speaker A:That is why it's so vital to be a part of the ministry God has ordained you to be under.
Speaker A:It took trusted friends, family members that stood in the gap for me.
Speaker A:But even with all of that, here's the thing.
Speaker A:I had to make a choice.
Speaker A:I had to make the choice to embrace God, to live for God, to study his word, to be in his presence, to worship when I didn't feel like it, to pray when I didn't feel like it.
Speaker A:I had to reach out.
Speaker A:I had to stop isolating myself.
Speaker A:I had to let those God ordained people in and allow them to walk with me on this journey.
Speaker A:And right in the middle of that mess, that is where God, he whispered, and I've said this before, that that is when he said, start pouring into other teachers.
Speaker A:So what I went through in the classroom, he is using it for his glory, for me to be able to encourage other teachers, share my story with them.
Speaker A:And here's the truth.
Speaker A:I didn't feel ready, but I obeyed.
Speaker A:And continuing to obey.
Speaker A:Now sometimes fear comes knocking, but I'm again thankful for those people that Helped to pull me through and to push me through.
Speaker A:And that whisper, it turned into a movement.
Speaker A:I didn't know it at the time, but the same healing that saved me, the same things that I went through, now God is using it to help others.
Speaker A:It has became the foundation of what I now lead, both inside the classroom and beyond the pain I once tried to hide.
Speaker A:God is now using it to help others.
Speaker A:That is how the transformational teacher was born.
Speaker A:Not as a brand, but an assignment given from God.
Speaker A:Yes, again, it started with teachers, but he is expanding it even the more.
Speaker A:He's calling me beyond the classroom.
Speaker A:He's stretching my voice into spaces I never imagined.
Speaker A:That's again, one reason I started this podcast and one reason is now I want to reach those God has placed in my realm of influence.
Speaker A:To reach, to encourage, to speak truth and to share the word in any way that meets people right where they are.
Speaker A:And one reason I said yes to the Ways of Grace collaboration book that just recently came out was to open up to share part of my story for those who are navigating a storm that those that are going through struggles but may haven't said anything to anyone.
Speaker A:I want you to know you're not alone.
Speaker A:God is right there with you and he wants to help you to get to the other side.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:There's also people there cheering you on.
Speaker A:There's people that want to help you.
Speaker A:So again, that chapter wasn't just a reflection of what I went through.
Speaker A:It was a declaration of what God has done in my life and what he's continuing to do in my life.
Speaker A:How he helped me to heal from that storm that I once was in, how purpose came from.
Speaker A:From that storm, how peace.
Speaker A:I received God's peace even in the midst of the storm.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:I'm now a better person because of it all.
Speaker A:Because through the storm, God refined me.
Speaker A:He made me better.
Speaker A:And I'm even a better teacher now because of what I went through in the classroom, but also life, because I had to draw closer to God.
Speaker A:And I no longer teach in my own strength.
Speaker A:I teach from a place of surrender, from God's strength, with his wisdom and his grace guiding me every step of the way.
Speaker A:And the beauty of it.
Speaker A:He's not finished yet.
Speaker A:He's still using it.
Speaker A:He's still revealing what's to come through upcoming books, new assignments, and doors I never imagined would open.
Speaker A:I'm still growing.
Speaker A:I'm still becoming.
Speaker A:Still saying yes, even when fear knocks.
Speaker A:Because grace doesn't just heal us.
Speaker A:God's grace, it carries us through.
Speaker A:God's grace helps us to do what we never thought we could do.
Speaker A:And maybe you're in a breaking season right now.
Speaker A:Maybe you've been trying to move forward, but it feels like every step forward comes with another hit.
Speaker A:More overwhelm, more warfare, more weary days than peaceful days.
Speaker A:And yes, I've been there.
Speaker A:And I want to remind you, God is right there with you.
Speaker A:He is right there with you in whatever situation you're going through, just as he's with you when things are peaceful, in the calmness of things.
Speaker A:He is with you and in the storm.
Speaker A:And he wants to help you.
Speaker A:But we have to allow him to help us.
Speaker A:We have to trust him in the process, not just for the outcome, but we have to trust him along the way.
Speaker A:Ask God, what do you want me to do in this season?
Speaker A:What is it that you're trying to tell me?
Speaker A:What do I need to be doing both naturally and spiritually to align with where you're taking me?
Speaker A:Because what the enemy tried to use to silence you, what he may have tried to use to take you out, God can turn around and use for his glory.
Speaker A:We are living proof of God's grace because we're still here and we are still going forth and aiming to do what he is telling us to do.
Speaker A:Ephesians 2:10 we have been going back to this scripture.
Speaker A:It is a scripture that I stand by.
Speaker A:I see things so much clearer.
Speaker A:And what it says, it says, for we are his workmanship, his own masterwork, a work of art created in Christ Jesus, reborn from above, spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used for good works which God prepared for us beforehand, taking paths which he set so that we would walk in them, living the good life which he prearranged and made ready for us.
Speaker A:We were created with intention, and when we align with God's plans, we align with his will for our life.
Speaker A:So we have to sit with God, we have to trust him, and we have to follow the path that he has already prearranged for us.
Speaker A:Joshua 1:8 Keep this book of the Law always on your lips.
Speaker A:Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
Speaker A:Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Speaker A:So we have to keep the word of God in our hearts.
Speaker A:We have to stay rooted in in His Word.
Speaker A:We have to allow His Word to grow us.
Speaker A:We have to stay connected to the vine because he is helping us become the woman and man of God.
Speaker A:He has called us to be and his grace is carrying us along the journey.
Speaker A:So if you're walking through a storm right now, if you're navigating the unknown, feeling stretched, feeling unqualified, lean into his word.
Speaker A:Lean into 2 Corinthians 12, 9 it says, but he has said to me, my grace is sufficient for you.
Speaker A:My loving kindness and my mercy are more than enough, always available regardless of the situation.
Speaker A:For My power is being perfected and is completed and shows itself most effectively in your weakness.
Speaker A:Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weakness so that the power of Christ may completely enfold me and may dwell in me.
Speaker A:So again, God's grace is more than enough.
Speaker A:You don't have to carry it alone.
Speaker A:You do not have to go through this season.
Speaker A:You're in alone.
Speaker A:God is right there with you.
Speaker A:Let him carry you and watch what he builds through you.
Speaker A:Watch what he does through you.
Speaker A:Watch the way he uses what you went through for his glory.
Speaker A:So again, stay encouraged and make sure if you haven't already, download the companion journal and this week, two reflection questions is where in my life have I seen God turn pain into purpose?
Speaker A:What area is God still healing in me and how can I trust him more deeply in it?
Speaker A:Now there's more questions reflection prompts that you can reflect on in the journal, so make sure you download it.
Speaker A:And again, thank you so much for going through this journey with me.
Speaker A:And if you haven't had the opportunity to to listen to the past episodes, they're still there for you.
Speaker A:The Journal, weekly journal, they're still available, so make sure you go and grab it.
Speaker A:And also, if you haven't had the chance to get the Ways of Grace book, make sure you head over to Amazon and grab that.
Speaker A:Also, it's filled with powerful stories.
Speaker A:There are 10 of us that wrote the book.
Speaker A:And again, thank you all so much for that support.
Speaker A:And although this journey is over of the Carried by Grace, we are still going to be putting podcast episodes out.
Speaker A:So stay tuned for what is to come.
Speaker A:And if you are a teacher, keep your eyes open because the Get Ready to Teach with Jesus challenge is coming your way.
Speaker A:Again, stay encouraged.
Speaker A:And again, thank you for walking along this journey with me.
Speaker A:And remember, keep your eyes set and focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Speaker A:Allow him to strengthen you.
Speaker A:Allow him to energize you along the journey.
Speaker A:Do not give up on God because He will not give up on you.
Speaker A:Allow him to be there with you.
Speaker A:Well, again, speak with you all later.
