Christian Women in the Spotlight ~ Danielle

Danielle

Mom, College Professor, Mental Health Professional

www.daniellebatog.com.

How did you get into your area of work?

All three careers have been a “God thing”.

1. Being a Mom:

I never planned on having children. Getting married and having a family never made it to my agenda. Ever. The thought never crossed my mind. However, as I like to say, God had this one little girl up in heaven that was such a nag that he just had to find her a good home or He would go crazy. So one evening I turned a corner and met my husband. Six months later we were married. Then one fine afternoon, two weeks before my 40^th birthday and five months after getting married, we found out I was pregnant and about to embark on the greatest and most rewarding adventure of our lives. God was certainly in a hurry to find this little girl a good home (grin).

2. College Professor.

I never planned on being a teacher of any kind. Ever. The thought never crossed my mind. On a whim I applied at our local college to be an adjunct instructor. I totally forgot that I had done this. Over a year later I received a phone call asking if I would like to teach Introduction to Psychology and Human Growth and Development for the Fall Semester. I said ‘sure’, not realizing the Fall Semester was to begin the following week!!! What a whirlwind learning process that was. I have been there ever since. It is not a career I would have chosen. However, it is a career I love and will stay until they ‘retire’ me.

3. Mental Health Professional.

I never planned on being a therapist. I majored in Psychology/Counseling, not because I wanted to ‘help people’ but because I was fascinated by human behavior. I wanted to know what made people ‘tick’. I was very adamant about not being a mental health counselor. Ever. The road to getting both my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree was a long and spirally one. I had just started the Master’s program when I found out I was pregnant. I went on to finish my degree and became a stay at home mom. Then one day in the corridors of the college I teach at, a colleague asked me out of the blue if I would be interested in working at her counseling center. I told her that I wasn’t sure. We sat down a few weeks later and I expressed my concerns about being a counselor. As we sat and talked I felt God’s presence in that very room leading us down a road that I would not have ever gone down on my own. Several months later I now find myself interning as a mental health counselor for children!

How can my ‘careers’ not be identified as a God thing? I went from never wanting any of it to having all of it. And loving it.

What is the biggest challenge?

When raising my child, teaching my students, and providing emotional guidance for my clients, the challenge for me is to remember that God has already written down his plans for each and every one of them. I am merely His instrument. This is challenging because I am human. I view the world from my perspective and my perspective is unique only to me and cannot be applied to raising my daughter, teaching my students, or counseling my clients. For their perspectives are much different than mine based on environment and genetics. That is the biggest challenge for me.

What are the benefits?

All the hugs I get.

How do you put God into your work day?

Idealistically I put God in my work day by hopefully having everyone I come in contact with see Him in me. However, again, I am human and this is not always how it happens. Therefore I put God in my work day the same way I pray that everyone else does. I add a big helping of forgiveness into it.

What do you wish you could do differently?

The answer to this question varies on the moment I am in when you ask me. Ultimately I understand that although I may have done things differently, it is never about what we want for ourselves but what God wants for us. Again, I am human and I want my way. Therefore, although there are decisions that I may have made in my life that now I wish I had made differently and therefore would have produced different results, it was not what God wanted for me. I find much comfort in that and continue to move forward from here.

What Bible verse do you think has encouraged you the most?

Prove by the way that you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Matthew 3:8

Do you get an opportunity to share you Christianity with others during your work? And if so, how?

Always.

With my job of being a mom:

Having a relationship with God extends to my daughter having a relationship with God. He finds His way into many conversations especially those that revolve around relationships and decision making.

With my job of being a teacher:

Although I don’t preach from my soap box in my classroom. When students meet with me in my office and turn to me for guidance, I am able to share with them who I turn to for guidance. And I still have my job (grin).

With my job of being a mental health counselor:

I encourage the teachers with praise. I comfort the children as God would have me comfort them. It’s not about me. It’s all about Him. I wouldn’t be doing this ‘job’ if it wasn’t for Him.

Thanks Danielle! What a blessing and insight into your life! Danielle has been encouraging me and has been there to bounce ideas off for the past few years! I can’t tell you how much of an inspiration she’s been to me!

If you have a spot light story you’d like to share, please email me! the160acrewoods (at) yahoo (dot) ca