Saying Yes!

Are you the type of person who plays it safe? Or are you the type of person who says yes to every opportunity? I think I am somewhere in the middle. In college, I probably would have said I am the girl who plays it safe. I would come up with reasons why that trip or outing wasn't at the right time or I would let my anxious thoughts about something going wrong or not knowing anybody get the better of me. Near the end of college I slowly started going and doing more on my own, but it was a long journey to get there.

See I am really good at talking myself out of things before I ever really pursue it as an option. As a result I end up missing out on cool experiences or at the very least living life to the fullest. As my relationship with God has grown over the years, I have learned that the decisions are never up to "just me" and that I have slowly learned to listen to His voice and prompting. Not just on the BIG decisions in life, but the seemingly insignificant ones as well.

For example, last year right after I moved to California I was feeling really lonely. I was in a new city where I knew very few people, my husband was gone for work a lot and my family/friends felt like they were a million miles away. So, I started listening to podcasts pretty much all day. I would listen to them while I worked out, cleaned the house, drove to the grocery store, ate dinner, etc. One day while at the gym Spotify started playing a suggested podcast episode for me. This girl started talking about Jesus, friendships, finding joy, and how she had just gotten a book deal. I remember thinking "when that book comes out I am going to have to order it." As I kept listening to her podcast I was encouraged by her experience as a military spouse, navigating difficult seasons and how she stewards motherhood. The podcast was Realtalk with Rachel Awtrey and I think I binged every episode of her in the span of a couple weeks.

As I kept listening to her podcast she had her friend Emily Rowlett on and they did a series on on entrepreneurship and spoke about this community they were building called Rally. It is important to note that I was listening to this while sitting on the floor of my guest room creating some of the first Kingdom Arrows resources. The more they talked about their heart and vision for Rally the more intrigued I was. Yet, I was still hesitant, it sounded amazing, but was it really for me? Was this small website with a couple subscribers and passion for supporting families in their walk with Christ enough to be called a business? I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I hopped on the videocast that discussed in detail what Rally was. I was shocked I am normally I fly on the wall type of person. I enjoy watching other people engage and learning from them, not the one who participates. However, I was jumping in the chat with questions and feeling completely at ease. I signed up for Rally that night and now just over a year later it has been one of the BEST investments I have made for my business.

Yet, it did more than just support me in entrepreneurship, it gave me a community. Friends to meet with on video calls every week. A space to feel seen, heard and championed on, while championing on others. Women who were using the talents and giftings God gave them to serve others in their businesses, while being present with their families. It truly was amazing how deeply it impacted my life and the joy it brought me.

Meeting Rachel and Emily in person at retreat

However, God in His goodness did not stop there. He made a way for me to attend Rally Retreat in February where I got to meet Rachel and Emily in person, as well as several other Rally members who I had gotten to know virtually over the past several months. Remember when I said at the beginning I would get nervous about doing things on my own and not knowing anyone? All I can say is the promptings God puts on your heart can be hard to ignore and I am so glad I didn't because that retreat fueled me in ways I didn't know I needed. Additionally, I didn't know it at the time, but I was two weeks pregnant, so this year I wouldn't have been able to go because I will be snuggling my cute four month old. God's timing is perfect!

But! Once again God didn't stop there. Remember that book that Rachel was writing? Well it came out last week and I had the honor of being on her launch team. When she shared the applications to be apart of the launch team on her Instagram I said "who am I?" I did what I lovingly refer to as "mosesing' it is when you start to disqualify yourself because you are scared or you aren't sure you want to step into what God is calling you too. I will say once you practice taking brave steps with God you become more confident in trusting where He is leading you and it is easier to say yes. So I put my application in to be on the launch team and was accepted.

The month before the book released I was able to pray over this book, read the book ahead of time and share it with all of you. It was truly a special experience and made even more special when I was able to travel to Birmingham last week and be apart of Rachel's book launch party. Being able to celebrate her and cheer her on in person was so sweet. But how incredible is God that He orchestrated all of this?

Celebrating the launch of Rachel Awtrey's Book

I went from being a podcast listener to now being able to call Rachel a friend which is so special, but it took me saying yes to the what if's. It took prayer and discernment to follow the steps God was placing in front of me. This may seem like a silly example, but this journey has made a large impact on my life the past two years. My encouragement to you is this, don't be afraid to step into what God is calling you to do big or small. Because Rachel and Emily said yes when God lead them to start a podcast, write a book, start Rally, host a retreat and so much more, my life was changed for the better. Because I said yes to the what ifs of joining Rally, stepping out of my comfort zone and being on the book launch team, going to retreat and to Birmingham, I have had the opportunity to make friends all over the country. Which is a huge blessing when you move as often as we do.

Say yes when God calls you somewhere friend, His timing is always perfect and you never know what He might use. Sometimes it is something as small as making sure the right podcast ends up in your que. He is trustworthy, He knows where He is guiding you, so you don't have to have all the answers.