“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

Life can be hard, traumatic, disheartening in the early years, but as you mature spiritually, emotionally, financially, and physically, you can transcend into a successful human being. Your beginning does not have to define your entire life—life is a process.

Throughout the years, I have shared with you many of my life’s defining moments which are those pivotal instances that transformed me forever. I compare life to a grape; I have been harvested, sorted, de-stemmed, and crushed. Just as the grapes were crushed to make a tasty bottle of wine, so was I. I was crushed by divorce, financial setbacks, insecurities, rejection, and loss of loved ones. As a result of that crushing, I found ME. I had to remember that these experiences in my life where only chapters; it wasn’t the entire book.

In his book, titled “Crushing,” T.D. Jakes compares these painful experiences to winemaking. “Like the grape, God has called us to live out his purpose; however, before this is done, we will have to also be crushed meaning going through some pain and sufferings, adversities, and setbacks. What we might consider as an awful circumstance is God’s crushing and pressing.”

Recently, I interviewed Dr. DaNika Neblett Robinson on my New Wine Consulting Facebook business page. During the interview, Dr. Robinson shares how she defied the odds of becoming a teen mother. In 2018, Dr. Robinson penned a novella titled, “The Metamorphic Journey,” where she explores three teenage mothers’ quest to succeed. The fictional work is based on her experience of becoming a teen mom, first-generation college student, and ultimately the recipient of multiple academic degrees, including master’s and doctoral degrees. “The Metamorphic Journey” is also the name of a movement that Dr. Robinson founded to foster individuals’ personal growth. Additionally, she is the founder of Wailing Women Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides book scholarships to female high school seniors. Dr. Robinson is a higher education administrator and expert in transformational leadership who speaks widely about the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice, and leadership in the workplace. Not allowing her early years to define her, Dr. Robinson’s tenacity, perseverance, and resilience is evident in her life’s story.

Just as the grape transforms from the vineyard to a fine bottle of wine on your dining table, so are the defining moments in life—they were painful and devastating, yet transformative and I would go as far to say, necessary.

To watch Dr. Robinson’s full interview, click on the following link: (20+) Facebook.