It’s Never Too Late | Brandi Readus

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

Brandi Readus

We have all seen the story of someone who says, “I knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was a child”, or “I have always known I wanted to be a teacher”. They were blessed to know their passion and purpose at a young age to pursue it as an adult. It’s such a feelgood story. Well, that wasn’t me! As a child, I wasn’t drawn to any specific profession. I took one of those career personality tests in high school, and it matched me with being a veterinarian. I liked animals and science, and it looked interesting, so why not? When I went to college, I was an Animal Science major for about a month. Let’s just say Animal Science 101 has a GREAT way of weeding out those who aren’t serious about the subject. I switched to a Psychology major because I’d get to take classes with my friends. (My mother is rolling her eyes reading this.) I

finished that year at Iowa State but then came home to give birth to my first child.

When it was time for me to go back to school, I decided to work towards a Computer Science degree because computer programmers made good money. I did well in the classes, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t a career I was actually interested in. I stuck it out for a while but ended up withdrawing and just focused on working full-time. I’ve been very blessed that my lack of a degree hasn’t affected my ability to not only stay employed but build a solid career at a successful technology company. However, I know that I am not walking in my purpose.

It took my life being turned upside down by my child’s battle with mental health for everything to become crystal clear. While my husband and I worked through getting her the treatment she needed, we quickly realized how unsupported we were to help her. We were caught completely off guard by how much this would affect our marriage and even our own mental health. How in the world were we supposed to help her when we were drowning ourselves? That’s when my calling began to be revealed to me. I wanted to help families like us who have been affected by mental illness. But how? Remember, I said I work in technology, and that’s not exactly transferable experience to a career in mental health. I began to push away these thoughts, and I even told myself I had “heard” wrong purely out of fear. That fear spoke to every insecurity I had. I didn’t have the money to pursue the two degrees required to become a licensed therapist. I was too old to make this drastic career change due to the additional education I needed. I can’t talk about our experience because people will think differently of us. But God!

A year from now, I will have my Bachelor’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science. But get this. I am pursuing that degree through a company program where I do not come out of pocket at all. Why is a technology company paying for me to get a Behavioral Science degree?! Listen, I don’t know! Ask God! As far as being “too old”, I’d rather walk in my purpose for a short time than never walk in it at all. God will still get the glory. The worry about what others may think of our story is surpassed by knowing that families will be helped by knowing they aren’t alone in this fight. I will no longer listen to the nagging whispers rooted in fear and insecurity. I will walk boldly in faith and confidence in my future.

Have you let fear snatch your purpose from you? Do you think it’s “too late” for you to walk in your purpose? It’s not. It’s never too late. I bounced around doing my own thing for a very long time before I consulted God. And life still had to knock me flat on my face for me to truly listen AND trust. Ask God to reveal His plan for your life to you and trust Him. He only wants the best for you and is waiting for you to be obedient so that He can give it to you.