God Will Make A Way, Or will He?

When stuff isn’t going right, your plans aren’t working. It’s easy to keep pushing forward. Convincing yourself that God will make it work.

I’ve been there.

I did it for 6 years with my Etsy Shop.

I saw others selling their gorgeous handmade items. So I knew it was possible to see quilts. I wanted that, I craved it, and I worked hard to achieve that success.

Although I had a few high points with my shop, my passion for quilting and hard work, wasn’t followed by extreme success.

I struggled and cried. That was followed by frustration.

My Shop Brought Me Closer to God

Not through a success but through the struggle.

If iI achieved the success I craved, I don’t believe I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.

God gives you free will, but if what you want to do is going to lead you away from him? He isn’t going to help you out in the process.

He’ll keep calling you back. It might be through frustration. Or that nagging feeling that you need to make a change.

God Used My Etsy Shop For His Purpose…

It’s important to realize, He isn’t going to make it all work out if it’s going to lead you away from Him.

God didn’t give me the Etsy Success that I wanted.

That success would have led me away, not to Him.

God used my Etsy shop for His purpose.

It led me back Him. And I learned a lot of stuff on the way.

You might be wondering what I’d do differently. You might even wonder if I’m sorry I opened up shop on Etsy.

Even with all the tears and frustration, I’m happy that I walked down that path. Not only did I learn a lot of stuff along the way. I met amazing quilters and customers. The only thing I would do differently? I would put it all in God’s hands.

Until next time, enjoy your day and the journey

Adele

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More Views On God’s Will:

• 7 Sure Signs You’re Missing God’s Will for Your Life (Charisma News)
• A Dangerous Assumption About God’s Will (Kevin Thompson)

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Pursue That God-Given Dream

Writing has been a dream of mine for a long time.

I also believe it’s a God-given dream.

This morning’s devotional* asked a question that inspired this post.

“What dream has God put in your heart? And what environment is tearing it down?…if it takes you away from fulfilling your purpose, dare to walk away… ”

(Unshakeable, pg 303, Christine Caine).

I only needed to flip through my surviving journals to see that dream confirmed over and over again.

They are filled with page after page of how much I long to write. Which is followed by page after page of doubting my ability to do so.

The first question, What dream has God put in your heart?, was confirmed when I read through some old journals, writing a book.

The second question, what environment is tearing it down? That one made me pause for a moment.

What if the environment tearing your dream down is You?

What if that environment is the negative voice in your head?

How do you walk away from yourself?

It’s not so easy putting space between yourself and the inner critic! In fact it can be down right difficult.

But there is a weapon you and I can deploy.

Jesus

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If you put your life in His hands, He will be your buffer, your strength. Your guiding light.

BTW. God did not create us to be fearful or doubtful. That work is of the enemy.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7. (NLT)

Until next time, enjoy your day and the journey

Adele

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Flumadiddle, A Little Nonsense to Brighten Your Day!

It made me laugh, it was such flumadiddle!

I was going through a folder of notes that I had torn from old journals. (For whatever reason, they looked important enough to me at the time to save.)

One scrap of paper said. Flumadiddle.

Curious I had to look it up.

Flumadiddle (noun): Utter Nonsense.

I don’t know why I saved it but it made me laugh. And that’s a good thing.

A scrap of paper underneath it made me laugh even harder. (Not the kind of rolling on the floor laughter. But a good chuckle)

The heading was:

Outsource your weaknesses.

Under that it said:

Quilting: Outsource it 🙂

Now this may not seem hysterically funny to you. It may not even make you smile.

But. When I wrote it. I was the owner of an Etsy shop, selling my handmade, one of a kind, quilts. Not something that you can outsource.

Outsourcing your handmade art is simply Flumadiddle!

Adele

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Trying to Prove Yourself To Others?

Do you ever find yourself in a vicious cycle of trying to prove yourself to other people?

Me too.

I’m not sure when it all started for me. But I’ve learned it’s kinda silly. And it stops you from enjoying life.

I was thinking about it this morning. Why did I think I needed to prove myself to anyone? Why does anyone?

I had an epiphany of sorts while I was driving to the store.

I started laughing at the whole thought of it. For one it’s an impossible task. And it forces you to be someone your not!

I don’t need to prove myself to anyone! (Neither do you.)
No one. Not you. My family. Not my peers. No One.

No Need to Try to “Prove” Yourself.

Why? Because I am loved by God. And so are YOU.

“What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. Luke 12:7 (MSG)

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I also realized that the ONLY thing you or I need to do is lead a life that is pleasing to God. Nothing more – Nothing Less.

I don’t know about you, but for me? That takes a whole lota pressure off.

You see, I’ve been scrambling around for years, trying to be successful at something. Anything. Just to prove that I am someone, when all along, I was already someone special in the eyes of God.

At the end of the day? That’s what matters.

Until next time, enjoy your day and the journey

Adele

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Dare To Be You. Dare to Be What God Called You To Be

Dare to be you. Dare to be what God called you to be.

Did you ever get a phrase stuck in your head? For days?

Not a song. But a phrase.

Mine has been “Dare to be Yourself.”

Not just be yourself. But Dare to do it.

I’m not sure if I read it someplace, heard it, or if it just popped into my head. But now that it’s there? I can’t get it out of my head.

It sounds like it would be simple enough doesn’t it?

I mean, heck you are you and I am Del, so what’s the problem?

But it’s hard to go out in the world and be yourself. It’s much easier to put on a mask. Or hide behind anonymity on the internet.

I’ve been a tad bit guilty about hiding out and not being completely myself.

When it comes to publishing my posts, I turn into a scaredy-cat! And I’d rather hide out.

That manifests itself in a couple of ways:

• Some of my posts don’t get published or
• I write in a way that doesn’t feel true to my voice – at least to me.

I’m learning to get over that by doing.

It’s a process of getting comfortable publishing your writing to the world at large.

I’m taking the dare to be myself and I challenge you to do the same.

Dare to be you. Dare to be what God called you to be.

Adele

Until next time,

Until next time, enjoy your day and the journey

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