My Test Turned Into Treasures
In my humble opinion, we go through tests and uncomfort prior to our next level. I believe the purpose of a test is to equip you for what you have to endure in your next level or what's to come in your life journey. The way I see it is if a student gets promoted to the first grade without completing the requirements of Kindergarten he or she is not going to grasp or understand the lesson the Kindergarten teacher is trying to convey. When I think about my life journey and the things I went through in life, I can appreciate the test and how I matured from the test. Without my test and the help of God I wouldn't be able to face and endure what life throws at me. In this blog I will highlight a few of my test that I went through and the treasures I achieved in result of my test.
One of the very first test that I experienced was a senior in highschool. When I became a senior in 1998 it was required that we passed a test called the exit exam in which you had to score a 700 or higher on the writing, language arts and math component of the test in order to graduate with a high school diploma. They began offering the test the sophomore year in highschool. Back then a student had up to the spring of their senior year to pass the test. If you don't pass the test prior to graduation, you will graduate with a certificate of completion, which will result in you having to go to Adult Ed to obtain your G.E.D. My sophomore year I passed the writing and language art component of the test the first try, but it took me up to the final try of my senior year to pass the math component. At the time I dealt with shame, stress,and anxiety. I felt pressured because it was my senior year and all of my friends that I hung out with at the time passed all the components and they were preparing for the military and college. Nevertheless, I did passed the test in April of 1998. I was so thankful, I did lots of praying and studying, I Thank God for that miracle, becausr I was able to graduate from highschool with my highschool diploma.
In August 1999, I became a college student, prior to that, fresh out of highschool I stayed home and attended Williamsburg Technical College for a few months to study early childhood development. I really wanted to study Elementary Education that's why I transferred to Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. Studying to become an elementary school teacher wasn't the only reason I wanted to go to college. I wanted that college experience, I wanted to have fun and get out of Kingstree, S.C. Benedict College was a rewarding and unforgettable experience but they were some trials. Benedict College is a private school and it was expensive. Each semester, I had to take out additional loans to stay in school. My freshman year I had two small scholarships but I still had a balance I had to pay. I went through this all four years of college. Each year I had to pray for God to make provisions for me. Not only did I had financial issues I struggled within my major. I really wanted to be a teacher at the time. In order for me to take the core education courses I had to pass the Praxis 1, which is the teacher's exam by the end of my sophomore year. I didn't pass the test after taking it twice, so I was forced to change my major. I changed my major to Child and Family.Studies, which was closely related to educatiom. I didn't want to stay in school an extra 2 or 3 more years so changing my major to Child and Family Studies would of kept me on that four and half years track. I eventually graduated in December 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family.Studies.
Pictured above is my graduation day. This was bittersweet because I worried about what would come next. After graduating, I moved backed home with my parents, I could not find a job, I became anxious and unhappy so I applied to grad school because I diidnt want to settle and I wanted to make a better life for myself.I said to myself, I didn’t come this far to fail.
I moved back to Columbia South Carolina for grad school. I.attended South University to major in Professional Counseling. I actually enjoyed this program because it was flexible, the classes were only on Saturdays which allowed me time to work and do class assignments. The program went by smooth and quickly. The test I.went through was managing adulthood and making the right choices. I made a wrong choice in a relationship, and I abused my credit because I wanted instant gratification. I moved grom home abruptly because I wanted instant success. I didn't think throughly without thinking before getting an apartment and obliging myself to other financial situations. I was in debt over my head, I created alot of unnecessary pressures amd stress and I.was often unhappy and I felt stagnated. Through all of that I graduated with my masters degree in Professional Counseling in 2005.
Fast Foward to October 15, 2011 I got married. I didn't have a fancy church wedding. We decided just to keep it intimate. There were some rocky times but we made it through. The test was for me to stick it through and to apply prayer and faith in the things that were surrounding my marriage that I couldn't control. Going to church, and surrounding myself around loving people helped me and my husband to stay together and to push past obstacles.
Another big test, my mom passed away in October 2013. My mom left a time in my life that I was struggling physically, spiritually and mentally. There was a lot of missing pieces and voids in my life. I was trying to fix alot of things on my own without the proper guidance and without God. My parents were trying to help me but I.was resistant and I felt that they were living in a bubble and didn’t understand my life. I was really messed up. After my mom passed away, I became closer to God and my life started changing for the better.
In Setember 17th, 2017 I conceived my first child. The test was I had fibroids and I didn’t know it. My nurse stated that I had some huge fibroids and it was a miracle that I got pregnant. The fibroids was pushing against my baby, which made it a high risk pregnancy. I prayed and believed for a healthy baby. This was my first pregnancy so.I.was uncertain about lots of things and at the same time I had lots of joy.My pregnancy went by smooth but the delivery was intense. Childbirth was the most pain I ever experienced in my life, and I believe that I’m still traumatized about child birth
In 2020, God gave me a vision to start my own blog. I always wanted to do something on a larger scale and I love feeling inspired by go getters and people who are exceptional. In December of 2019 I bought my domain name Bloggingwithapril. In January 2, 2020.I wrote my first blog story and my website went live Superbowl Sunday 2020. My blog took off really well. Within the first couple of months I did several one on one interviews, and videos that produced lots of views. Later on in 2020 when the numbers were increasing from the pandemic my one on one interviews began dwindling. I began to feel that my blog wasn’t going anywhere. Alot of people that I thought was going to support me didn’t. To be honest I almost gave up. After praying, believing and staying consistent opportunities became available to me again. Hair companies reached out and I started promoting their products which gave me content to blog about. Pushing through all the emotions and looking back, I'm thankful to God I didn’t give up. January 3, 2024 I will be celebrating four years of blogging/vlogging.
In April 2022, I created A &A Beauty Supplies LLC my Liquid Matte Lipstick Line. This was one of my biggest projects. I learned about marketing, and creating my own label. I believe God is using this Lipstick line to push me to think big and to step outside the box. I've been tested to believe in myself and to push through even when things look bleak. I must say that this project is my challenge.
In closing, these tests has turned into my treasures. With every test God gives us the strength and strategy to pass or exempt them. In closing, when you are faced with uncertainties and tests in life, trust that God has a plan and that he is working it out for your good.
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