Sunday, February 26, 2006

Obedience requires faith

I am humbled that God has directed me to start this online knitting ministry. For as long as I can remember, but particularly after reading "A Purpose-Driven Life", I have struggled, searched and prayed to discover what my purpose in life was. God has been trying to answer me for a long time now, but I think I've been too self-absorbed, too stressed, and too busy talking to hear His reply.

When I felt the leadings to start Soulful Knitting Ministries, I realized instantly that this was a way to combine my love of knitting with my desire to give back to the community. I also realized that this ministry needs to be about more than knitting, and about more than charitable knitting. God intends this to be a place where women can come to heal, to encourage and support each other, to pray for each other, and to share what God is doing in their lives. I don't know exactly what God has in store for us through this ministry, but I believe with all my heart that as long as we allow Him to direct our paths, our time spent together serving Him and each other will be a blessing.

From the moment God asked me to do this and I said "yes", He is already fulfilling His promises. My first "worldly" thought was "What about money?" I have a small home-based business, and I'm a new author just publishing my first book, but there are still more bills than there is cash and my finances have been a concern for quite some time. God reminded me that if I do what He asks of me, He will take care of the rest. And He is faithful to His promises. Within 24 hours of my commitment to this ministry, I heard from a former client that I hadn't heard from in over 2 years. They submitted a significant work order which resulting in a full week's worth of pay for less than 3 hours of work! I'm now negotiating with another client to double his billings. Sometimes it's a very hard thing to do, but we need to step out of our own way in order to let God do His.

Today will be another test of obedience. I'm meeting with the women that I've been knitting with weekly for the past several months to let them know that I will no longer be "leading" the knitting ministry there. While part of me feels a bit guilty, like I'm walking away from something that I started, spiritually I know that that ministry was not "mine". God has placed rumblings in my heart for the past several weeks and I've known it was time to move on, but I was reluctant to because of what others might think. After much prayer, I realize that God directed me to plant a seed there and now it's time to move on. There are many more seeds to be planted and when and where I plant them is God's decision, not mine. I am thankful that the women who have been meeting regularly are all now comfortable with their basic knitting skills and with each other, and I pray that they will continue to meet regularly even though I will not be there.

What about you? Has God been trying to get your attention in order to lead you closer to the purpose that He has for your life? Please post a comment and tell us about it.

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