God has different plans for us at different times in our lives.
When I was in my early thirties I was a single-mother of two young girls. I desperately tried to start working on my business, but God very gently but clearly let me know that it was not the time. We had a lot going on right then, and he just wanted me to enjoy being a mother and let him take care of the rest.
By the time my youngest daughter started school, I was excited to be able to revive my business dreams. I started picking up clients and planning how to build the business. It was a thrilling and liberating time for me.
At this time, I also met my now-husband and we were married about a year later. A big and wonderful change for us all. Business wise it meant I could work on my business without the pressure of being the sole provider. That was a supersized blessing indeed.
But then I fell pregnant within 3 months of getting married. This was exciting for us, and we certainly were planning to have a baby. We just hadn’t imagined it would happen quite that quickly.
But … a baby again. Just when I was starting to make headway with work and clients. I have to admit, I was resentful about that. I thought, “Why Lord? What’s the point in this business you’ve given me, when now I just have to put it all down again?” I figured I’d have to give up my business until my son started school – another 5-6 years away.
God’s reply stopped me. “Put it down? I didn’t say you had to do that. Things are different now.”
So I worked through my pregnancy and officially took 6 months off once our son was born. I had found a lady to help me out with the existing workload, and I maintained “status quo” during that time and right through the first year. I dabbled with some things when I could but took the pressure of any “have to” work off my plate.
I knew from when my other children were younger how horrible it was to try and get through disturbed sleep, nursing sick toddlers and keeping the house from falling apart with the added pressure of a self-imposed “have to” work task.
As our son got past the first year and I had a bit more time to work, I soon got frustrated with the fact that it was never enough time. I could only just get through the client work and had no time to work on sales and finding new work. The “working on the business” aspect just couldn’t happen. And there would still be days - sometimes weeks - at a time when I just couldn’t look at any business stuff at all.
That’s when God told me something else: “Even when you’re not working in the business, I am.”
This was a startling revelation to me in two ways.
Firstly, God was holding up my business and preparing new work for me even while I was knee deep in nappy changes and running here-there-and-everywhere with my older kids’ school and activities.
Secondly, this meant that God was supporting my dream of having a business. He didn’t see it as nothing. He cared about it too!
He understood the challenges of motherhood and running a business, and he was saying to me, “Don’t worry if you have to drop the business stuff for periods of time, I’ve got this. I won’t let you lose it.”
God knew where my heart lay - my children were my priority. And he honoured that by sustaining my little business because he knew and cared about how much that meant to me.
There are seasons for everything. There are times God says yes, and times he says not now. But he knows our dreams, hopes and desires. Any time that is diverted to our family and children can be easily made up in God’s kingdom.
Remember Joseph? When God finally got him out of that prison, things moved very quickly. Almost overnight he became the second most powerful man in the land.
My son is now three, so things are still a juggle – and they always will be. Family always need us. One child will need us more at one time, the other will take their turn at another time. And in some manic periods, all of them – including hubby – need you desperately.
I’m slowly learning that when I have to step away from my business because I’m exhausted from juggling it all, or I simply need to take the kids out on an adventure for the day, God is still holding it all together. Actually, he’s not just holding it together. He’s still working behind the scenes, preparing wonderful things that I can’t even imagine.
God’s got you, your family and your business.
He cares about all of it. And you’re never doing it alone.
Helen Wakefield
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Helen is an online business strategist and is the founder of Impressence.com.au.
Helen is passionate about helping Christian women in business fulfill their God-given purpose and make a powerful impact on the world, by helping them elevate their online presence.
She believes websites are a business asset that should be used to help reach business goals.
At Impressence Web Studios they specialise in custom designed websites, optimising websites for speed and performance, and just generally helping businesses use their online presence to elevate their business and improve their processes.
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