I am Angela's husband, Errick. I've felt lead to share what God tells me and so I thought I'd start a blog myself, like Angela. It occurred to me that it would be better to share a blog than to have two separate ones, so I asked Angela if she would share this space with me and she said yes. So here I am.
I hear God speak to me all the time; it's a normal part of my prayer time. I pray and sometimes I don't even get to say much because the time is spent listening instead of praying. This morning was one of those times when God revealed something to me that He's been working on for a while.
I am a graphic designer, I do art commercially...I help companies advertise. That tube of toothpaste had to have someone design the way it looks and the box that held it. That's the kind of stuff I do for a living. From time to time, my messages come in some form of analogy related to the graphics/art field.
Anyway, I work full-time but have a firefighter t-shirt business on the side. I love designing t-shirts. At first, my ambitions in starting this business were solely money driven but God has changed my heart and now I realize I don't need to focus on money and monetary things. I focus on God and the money thing just works like it needs to, I've given God charge over everything in my life... including my t-shirt business.
I'm starting my fourth year of business and just prepared the company's portion of our taxes for 2012. I launched in 2009 and found some success but that year was mostly getting things off the ground. 2010 & 2011 were fairly good years, nothing to brag about, but good for the amount of work that I put into this venture. Last year was not such a good year. I knew I wasn't doing good because the shirts were not selling and I prayed several times that God would bless my business, but this was also the year my heart was changed so I thought it was like a test. Could I really let go of money and see my company wither? Turns out I can.
Last year Angela's minivan (which I hated like it was the devil) died. Good news there, but we had to replace it. We live comfortably but we are by no means rich. Angela's a school teacher and I'm paid like one too. We needed to come up with some money for a car and we don't like car payments. If we had to take one, it needed to be small. Angela and I had some old IRA accounts from past jobs that were not performing so we cashed them out and used the money as a down payment. That was a blessing. Angela and I love the Rav4, that's another blessing. Our car payment is very manageable, that's a blessing.
So here's the part that inspired me to write today. Cashing in those IRA's blessed us with a vehicle but hurts us on our taxes because it's viewed as extra income. My t-shirt company made a profit last year of $7.88... it dawned on me that actually is a blessing. God did hear my prayers; He is in control. The t-shirt company's profit along with the cost of my schooling will really help offset the money we "earned" from the IRA's.
God revealed this to me and then spoke something I've heard, and sang, all my life... "They that wait upon The Lord will renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait." That finally made sense to me today. In my company it looked like I was failing, but I waited on The Lord. What do I have to show for it? Money no longer leaking away, a new vehicle, a tax offset and revived trust that God is in control, loves me and is looking out for me even when I pray for a whole year not understanding.
The message for today is: Trust in God and know His timing is perfect, His ways are above ours... wait upon The Lord.
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