When God Rewrote My Story

I used to think I had my life all mapped out. From a young age, I was a planner—the kind of woman who lived by five-year goals, color-coded calendars, and a to-do list for every waking hour. I had dreams, ambitions, and a crystal-clear vision of where I was headed. But as I’ve learned, our meticulous plans mean very little when God has a masterclass in mind.

My journey of rediscovering purpose didn’t begin with a powerful sermon or a mountain-top epiphany. It began in the valley with the sudden, unexpected loss of a job I truly believed was part of my destiny.

For years, I had held a deep passion for writing. I would write poetry as a teenager in composition books, and dream of myself one day hosting book signing events. As a shy little girl, I expressed myself through writing.

I was working for an independent, local publication falling in love with the rhythm of news and the power of the printed word. I felt like I had arrived. I genuinely believed that this career was the exact vehicle God had chosen for my calling. I envisioned myself growing within the organization and that this was the beginning of a platform to position me for a career in communications and media.

I have always had a heart to give voice to the voiceless, shape community conversations, and make a lasting impact. I was expecting this opportunity to position me to make an impact through storytelling and writing. I poured my heart, soul, and identity into my work.

Then, one Monday morning, the floor dropped out. I was let go with little warning.

The rejection cut deeper than I’d ever care to admit. It wasn’t just about a paycheck or a shift in routine; it was about the identity I had tightly wrapped around my role. Without it, I felt completely untethered.

The weeks that followed were an exercise in quiet desperation. Spiritually, I felt like I was walking through a dense, dry fog. Emotionally, I fluctuated between heavy grief and a low-grade panic. I found myself trapped in a spiral of heavy questions: Did I mishear God? Was all those years of preparation a waste? Who am I in a room full of strangers? I was terrified that I had peaked, that my best contributions were behind me, and that my sudden displacement meant my dreams had hit a permanent dead end. I struggled to understand how a door that felt so divinely opened could be slammed shut so abruptly.

For weeks, I wrestled with Heaven. I cried, questioned, and mourned not just the loss of employment, but the loss of direction. “God, what are You doing?” became my daily, desperate prayer.

Then came the turning point. It happened during a quiet time I almost skipped. I was sitting at my kitchen table, mentally exhausted from trying to figure out my next move, when my eyes fell on Proverbs 16:9: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

In that exact moment, the noise in my head went quiet. I realized I had been treating God like a co-pilot while secretly insisting on holding the map. I had been trusting my blueprints far more than I trusted the Architect. I had quietly made an idol of certainty, professional prestige, and my own sanitized version of success. A profound shift happened inside me: the desperate need to control my timeline dissolved into a humbling realization that my closed door wasn’t a punishment—it was a redirection.

I began laying down the broken pieces of my pride, fear, and disappointment right at the feet of Jesus. And in that surrender, the static cleared, and I started hearing God more clearly. Ideas I had long buried out of fear or practicality began resurfacing.

God began redirecting my steps back to the root of why I loved writing in the first place, stripping away the pressure of a newsroom headline. It started small—just journaling again in the mornings, not for publication, but simply to connect with God and process my heavy thoughts. Slowly, those raw pages turned into devotionals and blog posts that I shared online.

Two specific moments made it unmistakably clear that God was opening a brand-new direction. The first was when a reader emailed me to say that a blog I wrote about heartbreak and disappointment encouraged her to leave a toxic situation. The second was when I received an unexpected invitation to speak at a local women’s breakfast—not because of a media credential, but simply because a woman had resonated with my story of rebuilding and trusting God. He wasn’t just handing me a backup plan; He was reshaping my entire purpose, showing me that my true identity was never found in a role but in whose I am.

Living out that realization beyond the page hasn’t meant my life is free of bumps, but it has completely changed how I inhabit my days. When my coaching practice or professional projects face a hurdle now, I don’t experience that old, paralyzing panic. My self-worth doesn’t inflate when a project succeeds or deflate when a door closes. I find myself saying “no” to things that drain my soul because I no longer feel pressured to prove my worth through relentless hustle. Rest has become sacred, my worth is anchored in grace, and I can walk into rooms completely unburdened by the need to perform.

My story isn’t just about professional shifts, its about a radical heart shift. It’s about releasing the steering wheel and discovering that the safest place in the world is in the hands of a God who sees the full, breathtaking canvas when we can only spot a few stray brushstrokes.

For any woman reading this who feels lost, overlooked, or frustrated with where life has landed you… I want you to know that God’s pen is still moving. You may feel like you’re stuck in a confusing or painful chapter, but please know: this is not the end of your story. He is the Author who specializes in redemptive plots, and He wastes absolute zero. Not a single tear, not a single failure, not a single detour.

Sometimes, purpose isn’t found under the blinding lights of a spotlight or a major publication, but in the quiet, unglamorous moments of radical trust. And often, our greatest calling is simply to whisper a terrifying, beautiful “yes” to the next small step of obedience.

As for me? I don’t need all the answers anymore. I just need to know the One who holds them. And that is more than enough.

---

Author Bio: Chrisnatha Derosier is a certified life coach, speaker, and faith-driven writer passionate about helping women discover purpose in every season. Through her coaching, consulting, and written work, she inspires women to unpack past limitations, trust God’s intricate process, and boldly embrace their identity. When she isn’t writing or building frameworks for personal alignment, you can find her enjoying a quiet moment with a cup of tea, deep conversations, or planning her next travel adventure.