Answering God’s Call

I was a 7 year old little girl sitting on the land I now live on when I first remember the dream God placed in my heart.  I was sitting with my mom and a woman who was a family friend.  I had a doll in my hands and I was playing with her hair, I was always playing with my dolls hair or brushing my mothers…these are some of my earliest childhood memories.  The family friend offered to teach me to French braid my dolls hair.  I don’t know how many tries it took but I do know I walked away from that day knowing how to French braid.  In that moment I knew I would be a hairstylist - CRAZY, I know, but I KNEW!  Through the years of middle school and high school I went about playing with hair and makeup to an even bigger degree than most girls my age, my poor parents.  I remember being drawn to the cosmetic aisles of stores like it was a need not a want, a moth to the flame.  I needed to explore, to touch, to see, to smell.  If you were my friend during those years and came to my house you were getting a makeover whether you wanted one or not, just ask my friend Lana. After becoming comfortable doing makeovers, if you sat still long enough I might cut, color, or perm your hair.  I am by nature a pretty cautious person but in this area I was fearless.  Even stranger than being fearless was the fact that I wasn’t bad (not good but not bad).  Looking back I now know it was God given courage and talent.  He had a call on my life but I was far too immature spiritually to know it.  I finished high school and hair school should have been the next step.  Sadly, it was not.  I did not have much encouragement in this area, my dad believed that “there is a salon on every corner, you can never make money at it”, he was being protective not mean.  I was in a relationship that I thought was the one, you know the boy you have known your whole life and your parents are best friends, I thought I was getting married and going to stay home and have babies but like so often happens, he broke my heart.  These things combined with many others had me confused, hurt and mad at God. I spent the next 4 years in and out of college and trying many different career options, none of them were satisfying.  During this time I was becoming more and more depressed because my other dream of being a wife and mother seemed that it would NEVER happen.  My friends were all getting married and starting families, while I on the other hand couldn’t even find someone to date.  I was desperate for love but never thought to turn back to God.  I kept aimlessly looking to someone to provide this for me.

Then at the age of 22 I read a book about making a list of qualities you would want your future husband to have and then to start praying for them.  So I did!  This was the first time in years I had approached God.  In His perfect way He started to soften my heart toward Him and His ways.  He brought back that childhood dream of becoming a stylist.  I told my parents that I wanted to go to hair school and asked if I could move back into their house and go to school.  They agreed!  So I quit my job , moved back home, and signed up for school.  I was hooked, this was what I was made to be.  Through a God ordained chain of events I ended up quitting hair school (insert the song Beauty School Drop Out here) and going to work for a high-end salon that provided me an opportunity to apprentice.  This was such a gift from God, covered up with His extravagant favor.  The education I received was far above anything I could have ever paid for and not only was this free I was being paid (min. wage) to be an assistant in the salon.  About the time I was ready to “graduate” and be a stylist God brought my husband into my life.  From the day we met to the day we got married was 1 year to the day and 5 months after getting married I became pregnant.  It was as if God was waiting on me to answer that original call/dream before He would or could gift me the rest.

I continued to work in the same salon that I apprenticed in until I had my second daughter.  God stirred my heart to come home and be a wife and a mother first and work part time out of my own, in home, salon.  I started to work with a few friends and family and within a few months I had another stylist friend, who also worked from home, call and tell me she was moving and offered me all of her clients.  I had more clients than I had time to work.  From that time forward I 100% believe every single client who walks through the door is a gift from God.  I have never once advertised – He has provided week after week.  That was 10 years ago.

Today I live in the house I grew up in, on the land where God first gave me the calling.  Did you get that?  My salon is on the ground where I was sitting when He placed this call on my life.  Only God!

I am writing all of this because I believe God has another call on my life, one that scares my socks off and makes me want to hide in my closet.  I keep answering it one baby step at a time with much feet dragging and pleading to God.  He keeps pushing me forward and telling me to trust.  This dream is bigger than I can even wrap my brain around right now.  In all of my crying out and feet dragging God reminded me of this dream and how I could have never imagined or dreamed how to have made it happen but He knew. HE KNEW!

Then as I was preparing for our Sunday School class last week and reading Luke 2, God made these verses jump off the pages at me.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.     Luke 2:1-20

 

I could not believe what God was showing me.  The Lord called the shepherds and they went straight to Bethlehem in a hurry.  WOW, they did not drag their feet or go hide in a closet, they went in a hurry.  And do you know what?  God was there waiting on them.  I cried when I read that and I am crying now writing about it.  He has called me, I need to go forward, He will be there each step of the way.

 

Has God called you to something bigger than you could dream?

You have a story to tell and a dream to chase!

He gave it to you, stop living in fear and step out in faith and know that He, the God of this universe, will meet you there.

 

Love you,

Charity

And just in case you need more encouragement to follow God’s call in your life go read my friend Sibi’s POST on how her calling came about.  You will be blessed, I promise.

And if you want to see my new Master Bedroom Makeover you can see it HERE