Shifting

So something happened. Something out of my control. To give a little context, we were selling on another platform. Then, out of nowhere our selling abilities were blocked. After doing everything that was asked… Surrendered was still put on pause. After praying, resubmitting documents, waiting and getting denied multiple times… I gave up. It was best to focus on more important things.

I could have given up right there…but I didn’t. See, I’m at the point in my life where I’m done letting Satan steal things from me and me, as a Christian, not using the power that Jesus has given us to restore order. So, I decided to try every thing I could possibly do to get things going again. Still, it didn’t work.

About 2 weeks later I decided to try again. This time I read carefully through what was required… made sure to submit exactly what it was asking….nothing more…nothing less. Still denied.

It felt like a spiritual attack from the enemy. Nothing made sense about the entire situation and yet nothing can be done.

My flesh wants to continue trying to restore what was lost, but maybe its time to just let it go. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek. If I am to follow the teaching of Jesus, I should just move on… and not fight back… and not try to prove my point. Or be like Jacob & not strive with those who oppress my progress, but simply move to another spot and dig another well… Keep moving and digging until I’ve reached the place of no strife. Then, I’ll know I’m in the place God wants me to be. I’ve done exactly what I’m supposed to do and was still rejected. I will move along my journey and continue giving my attention to the platforms and customers who welcome Surrendered. My hope is in God not others.

With that being said, sometimes, God tells us no, but we continue trying anyway. He keeps saying no, and will even put a blockage in our way to keep us from doing the wrong thing. So, I’m going to stop right here…accept my no… and focus on what I’m supposed to do next.

Sometimes things happen. Things that are beyond our control. One lesson that I have learned in recent years is that I can’t control everything. Only God knows for sure what is going to happen from one moment to the next. I may not be able to control the circumstance but I CAN control my reaction to the circumstance and choose to follow God.

UPDATE: So its now a month or two later. Honestly, I can’t remember exactly when I started typing this. It’s been sitting in a Google Doc waiting to be published. Anyway, I digress.

My intention was to let go of that shop. However, I didn’t make the ultimate move. I thought I would need to download an important document from it; however, I didn’t need it after all. Fast forward to the present. I decided to finally cut the cord on the shop. I tried to close it & delete it for good. But….the system literally wouldn’t let me. It instructed me to contact the support team if I wanted to close the shop. Keep in mind, this has never happened to me before. I’ve shut down another shop recently (unrelated to Surrendered) and had no problems at all. One click and it was done. But not this time.

However, Scripture tells us to rejoice always. So that’s what I’m doing. On the bright side, the break from that platform allowed me to shift my focus to more urgent things that I had been putting off. A lot was accomplished that needed to be dealt with. Let me just say this, along my journey of becoming a Proverbs 31 woman, I have been reminded many times that my first priority is God, then my husband & children. If anything pertaining to my relationship with those three are not in order, then nothing I do with Surrendered works. It’s like a big pause button gets hit and no one told me about it. Really the pause feels like a nudge from God reminding me that there are more important things that I’m neglecting.

Also, another good note, the system guided me to the help I have been searching for since this problem arose. I’ve stated my case, asked for help & am waiting for a response. Honestly, the problem is a very small issue that I believe was a glitch and can easily be resolved. Ultimately, my prayer is that whether that door is supposed to be reopened or closed for good, God’s will be done.

FINAL UPDATE (I think)

A few mornings ago, I woke up to a sale notification. I wasn’t aware that the shop was reopened & the sale was a big surprise. Praise God!

P.S. In the beginning, I thought that shop had come to its final stop…finished…cooked. I was wrong. In hindsight, I realize that I was being called to shift. I needed to shift my attention to more important things, God, my husband, our children, our main business, and also other parts of Surrendered.

The truth is, the website has never made one single sale and nothing I did on social media seemed to be working. Shout out to the few people that have downloaded our free printables. I appreciate it and you truly do not know how God used y’all to show me what needs to be done with the website. It’s been up for over a year now and I’ve been praying and asking God to show me how to be a good steward over it. I received the answer during this shifting process. Surrendered was meant to serve His kingdom and for edification…to be a servant & not to be served. Making sales is like a bonus reward but not the goal. So here we are. A new website has been born. One that serves, brings Christians together, and that will hopefully lead others to Jesus.

Jesus be glorified!