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Hi friends,
After taking a month off from writing, it’s good to be back for another Wheatful Wednesday. It's by no accident that I came back today for the topic of “a purpose and a plan” because it’s the first week that I’ve gone full speed into the pursuit of what I feel God is calling me to - starting my own Church Marketing business. I’m having to confidently believe in the purpose and direction I’m pursuing while still trusting that whatever comes, God’s plan is better than my own.
And while our journeys most definitely look different, I believe there’s a similar path we can take to living the life God has called us to.
First, we have to spend time digging into our purpose. As we’ve been reminding you over the past few months that led up the Wheatful Woman Event and now, you were created for a purpose. You have unique gifts, abilities and a story that can create impactful change in the world. But in order to know those things you have to dig in and do the work to discover them.
Next, we have to be willing to move in the direction of our goals and dreams while still desiring God's Will more than our own, especially when things don’t go the way we expected. Easier said than done right? Believing God created us for a purpose can make us feel special. It reminds us of our uniqueness and can spur us on to be confident and assured of the women He made us to be. But trusting God’s plan for us? Yeah, that can be a little more difficult because we tend to really like our own plans on own time.
Whether it’s ideas for marriage, motherhood, careers, homes, perfect health, or prosperity, we have to be willing to believe (in good times and hard times) that God has bigger and better plans than the ones we’ve created in our heads.
In Genesis, starting in chapter 37, we learn about a gifted young man named Joseph. Joseph was well-loved by his father, creating jealousy among his other brothers. What transpires is a turn of events that feels more in alignment with a Lemony Snicket book than the Bible. What could’ve gone wrong in Joseph’s young life seemed to go wrong. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit, thrown in jail, then told he could get out of prison if he helped decipher a dream, but was then forgotten by the man whose dream he interpreted.
Ultimately, he was remembered by the man and given an opportunity to use his gift of interpretation for Pharaoh, setting him on a trajectory to be one of the most successful men in Egypt and to save the countryside from famine. And because God always closes the loop, it wasn’t a coincidence that Joseph’s brothers, the same ones who sold him into slavery, made their way to Egypt for food supplies when their family in Israel was starving. Thus creating an opportunity for Joseph to save their lives and share his story to showcase God’s plan.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. - Genesis 50:20 NIV
God used Joseph’s purpose, including his dream interpreting, for His bigger plan; to save lives in Egypt and his family. Joseph was confident in his Godly identity but found even more confidence in God's identity. And because of that, he was able to trust that whatever path God took him down (even if it wasn’t what he initially hoped or planned for) it was going to be used for good.
It’s easier to trust whatever God has planned for you when you know who you are and whose you are. Once you dive into your specific purpose, including how God can use your gifts and story for His will, you will become more confident about leaning into what’s the come, even if it’s not exactly you had planned.
As I start this journey and new career, I’m confident in what’s to come because I know God can use it all for good, even if I don’t achieve what I set out to accomplish. I pray as you go throughout this day and into your life, you’ll feel that same peace.
Look back on your life and remember how He’s carried you through. Recall how even the broken parts of your story were used for the good of you and others. Recognize how He’s grown you, strengthened you, and sustained you in hard times as He intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.
Jantzen Jolly-Miller is a marketing professional, speaker, and freelance faith writer who is on a mission to help women get real: real with themselves, with their business, and with their relationship with God and His church. In addition to being the lead content writer for Wheat and Honey Co., she blogs about personal takeaways from her life and faith walk to help women create positive change in their everyday routines at JantzenJollyMiller.com
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