I thought becoming a mum had ended my acting career – then God did this

Are there any recovering go-getters out there? I was one. All I thought about was how to advance my career as an actor. I had a dream and a promise from the Lord. Then, just when I was about to make my next career move, we got pregnant.

Now, don’t get me wrong, a child is an incredible blessing. But ladies, I was scared. I was scared because I thought that was the end of my acting career. We also weren’t prepared financially or in our marriage. But the Lord had a beautiful plan.

Due to the circumstances, I was forced to take a two-year break from my acting career and go back home from England to the depths of Indonesia. I had never felt so uncertain about the future. Still, I trusted God. He prepared us along the journey.

Throughout the pregnancy, God reminded me to practise grace towards myself. I was one of those people who would skip meals, but the Lord reminded me that if I didn’t take care of myself emotionally and be disciplined about meals and other things, the baby inside me would be impacted. He made me realise that I had been so good at loving others but not myself at all, which was not His will.

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But beyond that, after I gave birth to one of our greatest blessings, I realised there was so much more to life than my career. I was holding a miracle in my hands, and I felt so content to leave my dreams to one side. Who knew that when I was at the end of myself, when there was really nothing I could contribute, I would finally allow Jesus to move on my behalf?

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.”
— Habakkuk 2:2

Somewhere near the beginning of the year after we had just given birth, my husband and I couldn’t work because of visa issues where we were. But the Lord encouraged me to take His Word seriously and write down a vision list for the year. I wrote down a crazy amount of money that I wanted to earn. It might not be a big amount for others, but it was big for me, as I could never imagine that kind of provision. So I left it there on the front page of my book.

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I can’t say I was diligent in praying every day, but I did petition God for it almost every week.

I can’t say I was diligent in praying every day, but I did petition God for it almost every week. Months passed, and I was enjoying and recovering during postpartum. I still laughed at the silliness of that number, but I continued to have faith and pray.

I thought the money would come from an office job or something realistic. I mean, come on, I had just given birth to a baby – how could I ever get back into acting so quickly? Only Jesus could orchestrate what happened next.

About eight months later, during which time I had exercised, recovered, enjoyed family time and stopped breastfeeding, I booked a voice-over acting job paying the exact amount I had written on my vision list. The exact number! They flew me over to Los Angeles from Indonesia for a two-week job, and that was just the start. After our US visas were approved, we moved to LA a few months later. I brought my loving husband and bright toddler, ready to jump back into acting again in my promised land. I was sponsored by the renowned Carl Jackson Studios for a rom-com feature film to shoot later in the year.

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All this had nothing to do with my talent but everything to do with His grace and favour.

Just three months after landing in LA, the Lord blessed me with another feature film, A Wrongful Life Sentence, which will be released on Amazon in 2027. I also landed a role voicing a globally franchised animation character in a feature film. All this had nothing to do with my talent but everything to do with His grace and favour. Even before getting pregnant, I wouldn’t have expected to book projects so quickly or at such a high calibre. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. Faithful.

So, if you’re in the middle of a waiting season, trusting God with a promise, but instead of progressing, it just feels like it’s slipping away, I completely get that. Maybe it’s a visa, a future husband or simply time. Whatever it may be, friend, I want to encourage you that nothing is wasted and He is always working, even when you don’t see it.

A practical question that might help someone is to ask God: “What are you teaching me in this season? And what can I enjoy in this season that I can’t in another time?” Little did I know that God was reteaching me how to live, how to enjoy the life He has given me and how to be human again. It made me not only a better actor, but also a better person altogether.

Enjoy the season!