“Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves…
They mounted up to the heavens
and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper;the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”
Psalm 107
God warned us when He called us to All Good Things Collective, that if we stepped off the shore and ventured into the deep of small business, a huge storm would come, we would think we were drowning, we would cry out to God, He would still the storm, and we would see his wonders. Exciting proposition, huh?
He said we could stay on the shore if we wanted. We could avoid the storm, the fear of the almost capsizing, the ripping wind, and the pelting rain but we would also miss the wonder and beauty of his deliverance. By the grace of God, our desire to see His wonders in the deep grew stronger than the fear of facing the storm, so we said “Yes, Lord,” and boarded the ship of All Good Things, excited to see the wonders He wanted to bring.
And it happened just as He said. The storms came. The rain and wind threatened to rip right through our sails, and the force of His breath pushed us to our knees in our need for him to strengthen us in our weaknesses. And yes, just like He said, we called out to Him in our distress and our not understanding where we were going or why exactly He had called me out of the home. When the waves felt like more than we could handle, he was faithful to encourage us to keep going, and He continued to remind us of his promise of the wonder on the other side of the storm.
This morning, as I reflected on our journey in small business, I felt a sense of calm like I have not felt in a long time. I began to see glimpses of the rainbow, the wonder on the other side of the storm. But the wonder hasn’t manifested itself the way I thought it would. It didn’t come in the form of overwhelming waves of sales or new platforms or any of those numbers sort of wonders, although God has certainly provided for us. It mostly came in the form of the still small moments of surrendering to his will, the stepping into roles and purposes that looked much different than we originally imagined, the accepting of each other’s gifts and weaknesses, the work God has done in our marriage and hearts, the crucifixion of our ideas of how God might work, and the new and fresh words I heard from God when He called me aside to pray for vision.
The wonders were mostly found in the unexpected places, in the struggle, in the fumbles, and in the most humbling of moments as God has worked and is still working in us as a couple and team to fully step into His callings for us. One day I may unpack the story of the storm for you all, but for now, I hear God saying not to focus on the tempest, on the waves that came, but to publicly thank Him for what He did in the midst of it, and the new things He is doing as we press forward.
So on small business Saturday, I want to thank Jesus for answering every call of distress, for calming the storm, for warning us beforehand that it would come, for holding my marriage and family together through it, for a strong, creative, and super capable team that has remained steadfast in the waves, and last but not least, thank you for carrying me home to the remembrance of you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you for the storms that invited me into your wonders. I thank you for calling me to AGT, for my husband, my team, and for all of those who have supported us in their purchases and encouraged us in a millions way on this journey called small business. Amen.