I know about lemons. I also know about yearning for that deeper connection with God. I've been there. In 2003 I left a six-figure corporate job to venture into the world of entrepreneurship. Of course, I prayed about it but I can tell you that I pretty much stepped out on faith on this. Some people NEVER would have made that fateful decision -- getting caught up in the "what about benefits?" trap, and "what if this?" and "what if that?" But I was determined that I would take what some would consider a lemon (essentially the loss of a job even though the company wanted me to make a cross-country move) and turn it into something positive, e.g. the proverbial lemonade. Nevertheless, on top of this, just as I was getting into a good rhythm with my business, my mother suffered a freak fall in her own bedrooom. The result was months of care-taking, all the while trying to juggle the entrepreneurial ball, which is another story unto itself. There were times I just wanted to throw up my hands and quit! The thing is, I am not a quitter, so that really wasn't an option. The only option was to turn still another lemon into lemonade. The good news is that I came out on the other side, stronger, better, more creative than ever and determined to help others facing the aging parent/entrepreneur scenario.
I Quit My Full-Time Job And Survived
As risky as the "I decided to quit my full-time job" decision was, it was evident to me that God did not want me to go back to another corporate setting where the entire focus would be on work, work, work, being blessed with LOTS of money and things, but not really having a personal relationship with HIM. The first manifestation of this was a trip to China, for which I did not pay one single dime! This could ONLY have been the work of God because while I was in my corporate job, I was invited to GO to China many times to do some marketing but the timing was never quite right. It took LEAVING my corporate "security" to get a FREE trip to China! Hallelujah! When that happened, I KNEW at my very core I had made the right decision and that set me on a wonderful course to more fully "seek the Kingdom of God."
Believer or Make-Believer?
My point is this - the world does not have to be a big, scary place, even when you're dealing with a potentially overwhelming situation such as starting a business and taking care of an aging or ill parent at the same time. Making significant changes in your life doesn't have to be scary. The loss of a job (no matter under what circumstances) is not the end, the loss of a significant other is not the end, the loss of a business is not the end, whatever the loss IS is not the end because God is a God of restoration, provision and even restitution. God is the author and finisher of our faith and it is imperative that you have God at the center of it all.
You may go to church every Sunday, attend Bible study, serve in one or more ministries, read the Bible, listen to the TV evangelists but somehow the Word of God still is not resonating within you. You're hurting, you're floundering, and you're wondering "God, where are you?" You want a closer relationship with Him but nothing seems to be working. You want someone or something to help make you feel like a REAL "believer" versus a "make-believer."
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