Faith @ Work: Tyffani Frazier

RRC: You were baptized at the age of five. How did you know you wanted to devote yourself to Christ at an early age?

TF: I felt a tug on my heart that I wanted to confess to Jesus and become baptized after hearing about how and why I should devote my life to Christ. It’s a decision that has kept my soul and heart continuously focused on Him. It’s a decision I cherish making, as it’s guided me through the various transitions of my life and helped me understand myself and the love I receive from the Lord.

RRC: How did your mother and aunt become role models for you through Christianity and faith?

TF: My mother and aunts were role models and trendsetters for me. Mother, Vera, Aunt Bay, and Aunt Vivian were trailblazers (late 1960s) in integration via education and healthcare. These women were the first to set the “standard” for the next generations in their respective professions. They modeled faith and Christianity for me from an early age, and I’m so thankful that I have the opportunity for strong and determined women to show me the Godly way.

RRC: Becoming a nurse… was that a calling from God?

TF: Becoming a nurse was a calling from God. I just knew that the Lord had picked me to be a nurse due to being a genuine nurturer as a child and making others smile. I had to share with others the smile and joy God deposited in me.

RRC: How does your faith and prayer life sustain you through challenging times?

TF: Prayer is a life-sustaining action that has carried me in challenging times. Become my authentic self, a warrior, and bold, courageous woman of God whom the Lord designed, designated, and appointed to praise and thank Him. My faith and authenticity were challenged at different seasons in my life. I experienced depression and anxiety, which later required professional assistance. After being obedient and surrendering those areas of my life to the Lord, I now understand that my relationship has grown as Jesus did in wisdom and stature.

RRC: You’ve always known you were different, and your father expressed you had healing hands as a child. How has that impacted your life?

TF: Healing hands impact my touch, and I believe words create power to bring light to what appears like darkness. Words and touch have the power to aid those who may feel lost and provide hope, which is one of the most powerful things to have in hard times. God has taught me never to give up because He is with me, and to walk by faith not by sight.

RRC: Having a servant’s heart and being a frontline healthcare worker for the community… what has your experience taught you?

TF: Seeing someone in a vulnerable state and knowing the ministry of servitude can change the trajectory of the person’s current mental state of mind. For example, if I share in the transitioning period of a patient’s celebration of life. To be the representation of light and becoming a beacon of hope to the family has been an honor.

RRC: How do you encourage your children to live a life that honors God?

TF: I encourage my sons to live a life that honors God by training and teaching them. Who is watching when no one else is? God. Who sees everything that we do? God. And what does God’s word say? The book of Proverbs states, “I chastise those I love.” Furthermore, we represent Christ first, our family second, and ourselves third, so as the written words say, spare the rod to spoil the child.

RRC: You’ve been married for over two decades. How do you keep God present in your marriage?

TF: I kept God present throughout two decades by knowing the power of a praying wife. Praying over my husband as Ruth did with Boaz. The struggles will come, yet I remember praying to my Heavenly Father to send someone into my life who would love me for my flaws and accept me for who I am. The Lord did it, and I wouldn’t change a moment of my life with my husband. Our favorite sayings are “Baby, always give me the will to fight” and “We are better than me.”

RRC: How do you maintain and nurture a consistent relationship with God?

TF: I maintain and nurture my relationship with God by devoting quiet time to Him via delighting in his creation and the many pictures he paints daily. I am an early riser and love the outdoors, so riding my bike or walking in my neighborhood as the sun rises is a blessed experience. I get to experience the opportunity to take in his mighty creation and the beauty of the world surrounding me. It’s an experience I love, and I get excited to see what He will reveal to me next.

Tyffani Frazier is married to Jarvis Frazier for 24 years and they have three children: Jarvis, AKA “Jay” (21), Jeremiah (20) and Joshua (16).