I remember standing in line at the WIC office with my children. I held my food vouchers tightly in my hand. Other women looked at me with tired eyes. We all shared the same problem. We did not have enough money to feed our babies. I felt shame that day. I felt small. But I did not know that God had a different plan for my life. He planned to take me from food assistance to a registered nurse. He just needed me to trust Him one step at a time.

In my book "He Who Never Leaves Us," I tell the story of that long climb. I did not have a rich family. I did not have a husband to pay for school. I had nothing but a hungry stomach and three children who needed me to succeed. But I also had God. And that turned out to be more than enough.

The Shame of Standing in Line

Growing up poor taught me many things. It taught me that hunger does not take a holiday. It taught me that torn clothes still keep you warm. But it also taught me shame. I hated it when my classmates noticed my old uniform. I hated when the grocery cashier looked at my food stamps. I promised myself that my children would not grow up feeling that same shame. That promise became the fire in my belly.

I started working at any job I could find. I cleaned houses. I washed dishes. I took shifts that no one else wanted. I did all of this while raising my babies alone. Some nights, I fell into bed without eating so my children could have the last piece of bread. But I never stopped moving forward. I kept my eyes on one goal. I wanted to become a nurse.

Holy Boldness When I Did Not Qualify

Here is something I learned on this journey. God does not wait until you are qualified to open a door. He opens the door, and then He qualifies you inside. I applied for nursing programs that I did not technically qualify for. My grades were not perfect. My background was not impressive. But I had something that test scores cannot measure. I had holy boldness.

Holy boldness is not arrogance. It is not pretending to be something you are not. Holy boldness is trusting that if God said yes, no one can say no. I walked into interviews with my head held high. Not because I thought I was better than anyone else. But because I knew that God had already gone ahead of me. He had already prepared a seat for me. I just had to show up and claim it.

Connie Cleaver writes about this in "He Who Never Leaves Us." She calls it the faith of a mustard seed. That is all it takes. A tiny seed of belief that God can do what He promised. I did not have a full-grown tree of faith. I had a seed. But that seed was enough.

The Jobs I Did Not Deserve on Paper

After I finished my nursing education, I started applying for jobs. I looked at the requirements, and I wanted to laugh. Many jobs asked for years of experience that I did not have. They asked for certifications I had not earned yet. Any reasonable person would have moved on to the next listing. But I had learned something by then. Reasonable people do not see miracles. Faithful people do.

I applied anyway. I sent my resume to jobs that should have rejected me. And then I watched God work. Doors opened. Managers called me for interviews. I received offers for positions that I had no business getting. Do you want to know why? Because God was my Plan A. I did not have a backup plan. I did not have a safety net. I had only Him. And He did not fail me.

One job in particular stands out in my memory. The hiring manager asked me why I thought I deserved the position. I told her the truth. I said, "I do not have the experience you asked for. But I have three children who need me to succeed. I have a God who never leaves me. And I work harder than anyone you will ever meet." She gave me the job that same week. That was not luck. That was God.

Raising Children While Climbing the Ladder

Building a career while raising children alone is not for the weak. I do not recommend it as a first choice. But sometimes life does not give you a first choice. Sometimes life gives you a cold floor and two crying babies. You do not get to pick your circumstances. You only get to pick how you respond.

I chose to keep climbing. I chose to keep showing up. My children watched me leave for night shifts when I could barely keep my eyes open. They watched me study for exams at the kitchen table with bags under my eyes. They watched me fall and get back up. And today, they tell me that my struggle taught them something valuable. It taught them that God honors the person who does not quit.

The theme of "He Who Never Leaves Us" is not about having an easy life. It is about having a faithful life. I did not have an easy road to becoming a registered nurse. But I had God on the road with me. That made all the difference.

Trusting That God Opens Doors No One Can Shut

I want to leave you with this one truth. God opens doors that no person can shut. He also shuts doors that no person can open. When I look back at my journey from WIC to RN, I see His hand on every single step. The rejections that protected me. The acceptances that surprised me. The people who appeared at just the right time. None of it was random.

Connie Cleaver wrote "He Who Never Leaves Us" to show you that God does the same for you. You might be standing in a food assistance line right now. You might be wiping counters at a job that barely pays the bills. You might feel like you will never get ahead. But God sees you. He has a plan for you. And if you trust Him as your Plan A, He will take you places you cannot even imagine.

I did not become a nurse because I was the smartest student. I became a nurse because I refused to let go of God's hand. He promoted me. He made a way. And He will do the same for you. Stop looking at your lack. Start looking at your God. He is more than enough.

Do not let your current circumstances define your future. Read "He Who Never Leaves Us" by Connie Cleaver. Let her story of going from food assistance to a nursing career become the fuel you need to take your next step today.