Don’t Panic, Trust God

Approximately seven years ago I went through a very traumatic divorce.  As a result of the divorce, I was left struggling financially.  I had an Interior Design business that I had started prior to my divorce, and I simply could not let my dream of having my own Design Business die. I had prepared well for it, by majoring in Interior Design in college and I had even gone through two different internships.

I had wanted this as a career since my 10^th-grade year in High School. I just knew that it was a career for me. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay when you are starting your own business, such as long hard work days and many financial sacrifices, not to mention a few sleepless nights here and there.

During the process of my divorce, I moved to another city approximately an hour and a half from where I was living. I got a small 1 bedroom apartment because I knew that I would have to really watch my budget since I had not fully established a clientele yet.

After thinking and praying, I decided to get a part-time job to tide me over until I got paid for some of my design jobs.  And oh, did I mention that during this time I had to end up purchasing a new vehicle also.  Have you ever heard that when it rains, it pours?  Well, I was soaking wet by the time it stopped raining on me!

In my new job, I was blessed to meet some real sweet people, who became my new friends.  I was starting to adjust to my new life really well.  One of the guys at my new job invited me to attend his church one Sunday and after several visits, I placed my membership there.

Things were starting to look up so I thought.  The design connections were starting to happen, but very slowly.  I had flyers made, and every day I would drive miles and miles going into the new subdivisions, meeting builders, and putting flyers on brand-new homes to advertise my business. I was definitely putting in the hard work, but the money was not rolling in yet, and what I was making at my part-time job was not as much as I really needed to make ends meet.  I had depleted my savings making the move, and making payments on my new car. By the way, this was not a brand-new car, but it was new to me, and in mint condition so I was very thankful.

After a few months, I found myself running late in making my monthly rent payment.  I was told that if I could not pay it by a certain date, I would receive an eviction notice.   Oh my goodness!  I cannot tell you how that felt, because, in my heart, I just knew I was supposed to pursue Interior Design.   I remember praying daily asking God to help me find a way to pay my rent.  I kept thinking I would be ok if I can just make it through this month.
God did provide my rent, and guess what?  He did it in a way that I could do nothing but give Him the glory.

One night very late and actually about my bedtime, someone knocked on my door.  I could not imagine who would be coming to my door at that hour.  I was not expecting anyone so it was a bit scary.  When I went to answer the door it was my mom and dad who lived six hours away making a surprise visit.   My dad said that I had really been on his mind for several days, and he thought that they should just get in the car and come to see if I was ok.  I must say that I was surprised and happy all at the same time.

As we sat there talking after quite some time, my mom said “Oh, by the way, as we were leaving your Aunt Jimmie came by and asked me to give this to you”.   She pulled a white envelope out of her purse and handed it to me.   When I opened the envelope it had $400.00 dollars in it, the exact amount that I needed to pay my rent. Look at God!  Needless to say, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I burst into tears.  Only God could have orchestrated this, and may I add that His timing is always perfect.   After I pulled myself together, I explained to my parents what was going on.   I am thankful that I was blessed to have a dad and mom who walked close enough to God that when He whispered to them, they knew to be obedient and not delay.

Suppose I had panicked and decided to give up on my Interior Design career because life got hard. I would have missed out on what became a very successful twenty-year career.  My point in sharing my story is to encourage you that if you are currently struggling in some area, don’t panic.  Pray and hold on.   Know that God hears your prayers and he sees every tear that falls from your face.  When the time is absolutely perfect for you, He will work out the details, and He will show up in ways that you can’t even imagine.   It may not be in the time frame that you would like, but He will be right on time.  Remember His ways are higher than our ways.   He knows what He is doing and it is always what is best for us.
  So don’t panic, just pray and trust God. It will be ok!

28 “for in Him we live and move and have our being..”
Acts 17:28
 Psalm 112:7
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Hebrews 13:6
⁶ So we say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^[a]
Psalm 91:1-6
¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
³ Surely he will save you  from the fowler’s snare  and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Psalm 112:7
⁷ They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Hebrews 13:6
⁶ So we say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^[a]
Psalm 91:1-6
¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
³ Surely he will save you  from the fowler’s snare  and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Dedicated to Leading Women to Live Victoriously by Empowering them to Step into Greatness.

Originally posted April 16, 2017
Mark 16:1-6
1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!…

Many women don’t think that they are beautiful until they are wearing the perfect designer outfit, with matching shoes and a designer bag to compliment it.  Some don’t want to even be seen in public until their faces are perfectly done and every hair is in place.

Please hear me, there is nothing wrong with wanting to put your best foot forward when you are going out and will be seen by others.  I have been in the beauty business for almost twenty-seven years, so I know that these things are important to women, and I agree that our appearance should matter.  I also know that when we look good, we feel better about ourselves.

My point in writing this blog today is just to remind you, that real beauty is not based only on what is happening externally, but rather on what is going on internally.

You see, you can have on the most gorgeous clothes, with your hair, nails, and makeup perfectly done. But if your heart is not clothed with love, joy, and kindness, what have you accomplished?   Don’t buy into the world’s view of what’s beautiful, because you will miss the mark.  Go to God’s word and read about his standards for His children.

We are not called to just be pretty women, we are called to reveal God’s light, and to be His representatives in this dark world. Therefore, we must be clothed also in His righteousness.  We are to look like God inside, and in turn, we will start to have what I call God Glow because our character will start to resemble His.    No matter what outfit, makeup, or nail color you choose to wear, trust me, it won’t surpass that God Glow that you will have if you start to spend time with God consistently.

Just think, if everyone would spend as much time focusing on their inner beauty,  as they do their outer beauty, what a different world we would live in.

Today, as you are deciding what you are going to wear, make sure that you are clothed first, in the character that God is calling us to be clothed in.  Then you will know that you are looking beautiful, not only on the outside but on the inside too.

Proverbs 31:30
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:25-26
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
1 Peter 3:3-5
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,
Psalm 139:13-14
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.