the big LEAP

THIS IS REALLY IS IT!

i'm quitting my job and doing something on my own.  wow!  i never really thought i would have the courage to do this but God really gives us His grace that we may have the boldness to do bigger and better things.

in my head, i've always thought that the month of July would be some sort of turning point in my life this year.  i thought maybe, the opportunity God showed me in March would come to pass in July...but that hasn't happened yet (all in God's perfect time!).  sometime in June, my best friend told me of a travel business that was on the market.  the current owner wanted to retire and split her time between the philippines and the states.  about a year and half ago, i had planned on opening a travel business part-time, but i realized that i couldn't do it part-time.  i already had a full time job, a part time baking gig, a family, and volunteer time at church.  i had to give one of these things up if i wanted to pursue the travel business.  so when this opportunity came up and after praying and fasting (seeking the Lord), and consulting my husband, trusted friends, family, and pastors, i came to the decision to give up my job and own the travel business.  i gave my offer to the owners in july and in the same month, they accepted.  july was indeed a turning point!

hoooray!!!!  =D

i am giddy with excitement!  i am nervous and yet i trust that the Lord will see me through this.  i firmly believe that God appointed this time for me to do this very thing.  it's not easy to give up my job.  it pays very well and very rarely do i get stressed or seldom do i have to work overtime.  my boss has given me the flexibility of working from home a few days a week, too. if i stayed with the firm, i would be set.  but there comes a point when the monetary incentives are not enough.  there's an emptiness in me and in some sense, a frustration, that i just couldn't shake.  

farmers who wait for perfect weather, never plant.  if they watch the clouds, they never harvest.  this verse from ecclesiastes that spoke to my heart.  i've always been cautious...my pastor said, 'that's not just caution, that's fear.'  God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind (2 timothy 1:7).  i just realized that it has been 10 years now since i accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and developed a personal relationship with him.  it's high time i raise my level of faith and step out of my comfort zone.  

we signed the documents last saturday and expect full transfer of ownership no later than oct. 15th.  i am still in awe of what the Lord has done- how he lined everything up for me.  when i prayed and fasted, i told the Lord, 'Lord, the price we are paying for the business is not an astronomical amount but it's no chump change.  it's not easy to let this amount go.'  and the Lord replied, 'then don't look at it as if you're buying something.  look at it as your offering to me, because it is.'  and after that, it's not hard to see that money go anymore.  this business is an offering to God.  may He use it and use me for His glory and let His will continue to be done.

we will encounter cross roads many times in our lives.  we tend to choose the easy way and become complacent.  but sometimes, God calls us to take the road less traveled and journey with him so that we may get to know him more and realize what he can do in our lives if we let him take the driver's seat.  you wont know to trust him until you get to know him.  he has built up my faith for the last 10 years to prepare me for this moment.  His timing is always perfect.  His plans are never flawed.