When You Reach a Goal You Once Only Dreamed About

Welcome to the July edition of Exemplify with Elizabeth Zion

And this one means a lot to me, because I’m posting it on my birthday. Birthdays are often a time of celebration. For me, it's also a time of deep reflection.

Today, I’m not just thinking about where I am. I’m remembering what God has done in my life so far.

The state examinations in Ireland just came to an end a few weeks ago.

And my heart can’t help but go back.

In 2018, I sat my Junior Cert. I was 14 years old, and my family had just become homeless.

We shared one small room. My mom, my two brothers, my two sisters, and me.

Space, though a human right, became a luxury we couldn’t afford. I studied on the floor because it was the only space available.

Even at that, I had to share that space with ants, and sometimes mice.

Despite these things, I was determined to do well in my exams.

But looking back, I know I didn’t survive those days by my own strength.

I survived because God was with me.

There was only one place I could go to be alone: the bathroom.

And so, I would quietly slip in and sit there, not to escape, but to be with God.

That bathroom became my sanctuary.

My prayer room.

My safe place.

That’s where He met me.

That’s where He whispered strength into my spirit and reminded me that I was not alone.

I didn’t know how things would turn out.

But I believed that if I stayed close to Him, there would be more to my story.

And now, in 2025, I boarded a plane to Strasbourg,

Not as a tourist, but as a Youth Delegate to the European Parliament for EYE 2025.

I stood in the halls of power.

I spoke about the cost of living, the housing crisis, and the need for fair employment for young people.

I represented those who have lived through hardship, because I have too.

And I knew, deep down:

This was God’s doing.

From homelessness to Parliament, He led me.

To the young person studying on the floor, hiding in the bathroom to pray,

God hears you.

He sees you.

He strengthens those who seek Him, even in the smallest corners of this world.

And one day, like me, you’ll look back in awe and say:

God, You did it.

Happy Birthday to me but all glory to Him.

With love,

Elizabeth Zion

Youth Delegate | Speaker | MSc Sustainable Development Candidate

From the bathroom floor to the European Parliament.

By the grace and presence of God.