The Thing She Quit and Never Regretted
Choosing My Daughter: How Leaving the Military Led Me to God's Greater Purpose
I left the United States Army after 17 years of military service as a Master Sergeant, and I have never regretted my decision.
Having been separated from my mother at the age of 13, the thought of being separated from my own daughter brought back painful memories and caused me tremendous anxiety. I was a single mother serving in the military, pregnant at the age of 35, and my daughter's father was already deployed when I gave birth.
Soon, I was faced with an incredibly difficult decision: leave my newborn daughter with a caregiver while I deployed or leave the military. I remember looking at my daughter lying beside me in bed and thinking about my career. All I could do was cry. I was faced with what felt like an impossible choice—my child or my career—and I only had three years remaining before I could retire.
That decision was extremely difficult because, until that point, nothing had ever come before my military career. But I prayed, and I prayed, and I prayed.
The thought of leaving my daughter, coupled with the dreams and encounters I experienced about leaving her, ultimately led me to make the decision to depart the military.
But I tell you the truth: it was one of the BEST decisions I ever made.
That decision taught me to truly depend on God. It helped me become a stronger woman of God, a better mother to my daughter, and a better person overall.
And because I was obedient to the direction I believed the Lord was leading me, approximately four years after leaving the military, God opened another door. I became a government civilian. That opportunity allowed me to buy back my military service time and eventually retire with 32 years of combined military and federal civilian service.
And through it all, I never once had to leave my daughter.
What appeared to be quitting was actually the beginning of another chapter. I walked away from something I worked 17 years to build, not knowing exactly what would come next. But I chose my daughter, trusted God with the outcome, and discovered that sometimes walking away is not giving up—it is having the courage to follow where God is leading you.
God is Great!!!
