10/30/2026
God Built and Unapologetic: The Woman I Have Become 🙌🏾
2018. I was called into ministry. Since then, I've lived in three states and moved seven times.
This morning during my quiet time, God gave me Exodus 14:26-27. The Lord tells Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea so the water will flow back over the Egyptians. Moses does, and at daybreak the sea returns to its place. No survivors.
In eight years, God has had to remove so much from inside me: old beliefs, old fears, old stories. I believed those things because I didn't know who I was.
In my journal this morning, I wrote:
I never thought I could live without my ex-husband.
I never thought I could live by myself.
I never thought I could make it on my own.
I never thought I'd be a realtor.
I never thought I could be single.
I never thought I'd be Miss South Carolina.
I never thought I'd enjoy sleeping in a bed alone.
I never thought I'd travel the way I have. Since leaving New Orleans five years ago, I've taken two cruises and flown on a private jet to Colorado. I've been to Sedona, Cancun, Jamaica, Dallas, Vegas and Oak Island, and on Monday I head to Punta Cana.
I never thought I'd live in SouthPark.
But God.
But God knew what was in me. He knew I was brave, bold, strong, creative, messy, smart and resilient. He knew I would persevere. He knew I was tough.
God knew me before I knew myself.
Life is hard. Learning that, and learning to trust God through it, has been the greatest lesson He has taught me.
All I ever wanted was to be the woman I want my daughters to be. You'd think that would be easy, but it's so tough. With God, all things are possible, and I'm still growing.
Welcome to Grow with Tonja 2.0. 💛
What's something you never thought you'd do, but God had other plans? Tell me in the comments. 👇🏾