By the age of 19, I was a single mom of two girls on welfare, working a full-time job, all while trying to pursue my bachelor’s degree. At the same time, I was battling with a broken heart and the impacts of obesity. I was at my heaviest weight ever and had just been diagnosed with hypertension.
I felt like my life had been shattered into a million pieces and I found myself sitting in a smoking pile of ashes. As much as I tried to avoid it, I was at a crossroads. I had to face where my choices had led me, and I had to finally own all of them. I also had to come to the realization that no matter what others may have done to me, I had the power to choose and allow God to rewrite my story moving forward.
I decided to move to Orlando with my two girls and less than a few hundred dollars in my bank account. I was offered a position making $7.87 an hour at a local high school as a front desk clerk. Through many days and nights of sacrificing, support from my tribe, tears, and lots of moments of wanting to give up, I graduated with my degree. I was offered a teaching position one month after I graduated in the same school that I served as a front office clerk.
After only teaching there for about 6 months, I took a position as an ESE teacher at another high school. This is where I met my husband of now almost 15 years. Many people said that no one would want to marry someone with two kids. God proved them wrong. My husband encouraged me to go back to school for my master’s degree in educational leadership. While going to school online and evenings, I continued to teach for several years and then moved into an administrative dean position, eventually into an assistant principal of instruction position, principal, and now director of instruction.
My husband was my biggest cheerleader in my weight loss journey. By the time I met him, I had struggled through several different programs and diets—all temporary fixes. Through much encouragement and willingness to do what I call the “hard work of heart work”, I was able to lose 60+lbs, establish an exercise routine, and better my overall health. I have been able to sustain the weight loss through two babies and almost 16 years.
I am a true example that your past, pitfalls, and mistakes do not have the power to diminish your purpose. When we partner with God and are willing to lean in to do the “hard work of heart work”, God will take every broken piece and create a beautiful tapestry— a masterpiece. This past September I launched a podcast: Overcome to Become. My goal is to help others do the “hard work of heart work” so they can get unstuck, own their story, and live authentically. I have also shared my story as a speaker, through blog guest posts, and guest appearances on other podcasts.
Latasha Ferguson is a fire-lighting speaker, writer, ministry leader and podcaster at the Overcome to Become podcast. Her heart beats for empowering women to overcome anything that dares to stand in between them and who God has created them to be. She’s married to her best friend and mom to four beautiful girls.
Read Latasha’s articles HERE.
Learn More at: www.latashaferguson.com
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