G=Goals O=Outlook A=Authentic T=Truth (#coateisaGOAT)
This week didn’t unfold the way I expected. I didn’t get a job I truly believed might be my “end goal” — the role I thought would tie together years of work, growth, and passion. When the answer came back as no, it was disappointing. Not dramatic, not earth-shattering… just one of those honest moments where you pause and think, “Really, God? I thought this one was mine.”
But God has a steady way of redirecting my focus, even when my plans don’t line up with His. And that redirection showed up through something I didn’t see coming.
Our very first alumni event ended up being the highlight of my week. I watched people reconnect who hadn’t stood in the same room for decades — coworkers, graduates, instructors, staff. Seeing those relationships rekindled reminded me that the work we do stretches far beyond the present moment. There’s history here. Legacy. Impact that keeps unfolding long after the day-to-day tasks are done.
Somewhere in the middle of the conversations, the stories, and the shared memories, I felt God nudging my heart with a simple truth: Impact doesn’t wait for a title. It grows where you’re willing to show up.
Talking with pioneers in the industry and hearing the backstory of the institution I serve sparked genuine creativity in me. Ideas started forming again — new ways to highlight the voices that shaped this place, maybe even starting a campus podcast. It was clear that the “no” earlier in the week didn’t close off my purpose. It just shifted my attention back to where God is already working.
Then came a much-needed Thanksgiving with my family. Nothing elaborate — just the comfort of being surrounded by my mom, my sister, my nieces, my kids. Earlier this year, I put the word reconnect on my vision board, and this week felt like a quiet confirmation that it still matters. Reconnecting with others. Reconnecting with myself. Reconnecting with the bigger picture.
And that bigger picture includes recognizing something important about my own patterns. I’ve spent a long time downplaying my needs and minimizing my value — habits I picked up trying to keep the peace growing up. But at this stage in my life, I know better. I won’t be able to please everyone, and that’s not my calling anyway. Valuing myself isn’t selfish; it’s part of showing up fully in the roles God has placed me in.
A verse that stayed with me this week was:
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.— Proverbs 16:9
I had a plan for how things should go. But God is establishing the steps — even the ones I didn’t ask for. Maybe especially those.
So as I look toward the rest of this year and into 2026, reconnect remains my focus. With the work. With the people. With the purpose God has already planted in front of me.
And as you move into a new week, here’s something worth sitting with: Is there a place where God might be redirecting you — not to hold you back, but to help you see what He’s already growing right where you are?
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