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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What do your priorities look like?

I know many of you are wondering when I will be re-opening my Etsy shop Sarahsewta. Well don't worry, I am anxious to get the shop going again and hope to do so within the month. In the meantime the Lord has put on my heart to start a new project. Well not necessarily a new project, just an upgrade to an old project. I know many of my friends are going to be saying, "Sarah really? Another project? Don't you have a hard enough time keeping up with what you are already doing?" LOL Yes I thought the same thing, that is why my shop is currently closed. But a few months ago I stopped and re-evaluated some things and here is what I found:

1. I love to sew, but I don't want it to be the only thing I do.
2. I need to give more time to family and friends, and less time to the computer.
3. My shop is really hurting all my other ministries. Infact I have no time for anything else when I run the shop full time. (Thank you all to my wonderful fans who bless me with so much work!)
4. I am exhausted all the time and only want to sleep when I am not sewing.
5. Facebook and emails can be very stressfull and overwhelming and I needed a break.
6. I am not business minded enough to run this shop properly, I always give my profit's away! LOL
7. I want my sewing business to stay a hobby, and not be a burden or "work". If this cannot be achieved I don't want to do it.
8. I have such an incredible testimony that I have an obligation to share it with others, this needs to be a priority.
9. I want to be obedient to God and open to his leading, and when I get too busy I am too tired to listen.
10. If I invest as much time and energy proclaiming the gospel as I have with this shop, imagine where I would be right now.

I'm sure the list goes on and on but you get the idea. My priorities were way out of line. I allowed a hobby to overtake my life and become a burden. I became too tired to listen to God or to be of any worth to my friends. So I need to find a balance. One where I can still enjoy sewing, have time to minister, and most important have time to listen to God and his leading in my life. Many people would be scared to lose part of their income just because it interfered with their priorities. But let me assure you, being in God's will is not an option in my life. It is a MUST! And I don't care what the cost to get there. The minute I know something is hindering me from being what God want's me to be, I STOP! My first and foremost priority is to follow the leading of God. And I can't be afraid to change directions as my relationship with him evolves. The new path may seem unfamiliar and scarry, but if God is taking me there I know he will be with me and I have nothing to fear.

So my question for you today is, what do your priorities look like? Are you on the right path for your life, or have you become sidetracked? Sit down and evaluate where you are in life and if you are on the right road. If you are that's great! Keep going! If not STOP and make those changes. Life is way to short to look back with regrets!

Oh and you may be wondering what my new project is .... well I will be letting you know soon! :)

~Sarah

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The situation was hopeless ... BUT GOD!

Several years ago I was very sick and on my death bed. (You can read my story HERE) Everything looked IMPOSSIBLE! I was in SO MUCH PAIN that my body constantly shook. No matter how much medication I was given, even while I was passed out, I shook with pain! I was so sick I didn't care who was around me or what they were doing. I didn't watch tv. I didn't read books. I just laid there in agony praying for mercy, praying to die! The doctor's said it was hopeless, there was nothing they could do, my body was failing! They gave me ALL the morphine I wanted, trying to make me as comfortable as possible until my transition to the next life. We called in our Pastor at the time. He said the death angel was there and left weeping, never saying a prayer of faith. The diagnosis was given. I was going to die. Doctor's had spoken it. Pastor's had spoken it. We had accepted it. I had prayed for it.
THE SITUATION WAS HOPELESS!

BUT GOD! hahaha I love it when God says BUT! The situation was hopeless but God said "I will have the final say!" HALLELUJIAH THANK YOU JESUS! God came on the scene and changed those circumstances. He loves impossible situations to show his power to his people! I did not die! The "death angel" did not come and carry me away! My diagnosis was still there, but God changed the outcome!

Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? You've done everything you can to change things, but it still feels hopeless? Well I encourage you today to stop looking at the circumstances and trust in God. I know it feels scary to hope. You put all your feelings and emotions out there and are vulnerable. The "what if's" threaten to consume you. What if God doesn't do it? What if I don't have enough faith? What if it is still God's will for the answer to be no? What if I'm not strong enough? The list goes on and on. But you will `never truely know how BIG God can be in your life if you don't put him to the test. If you always accept circumstances as they are HE is not given the opportunity to show you how much he loves you. I will not lie to you, sometimes his answer is still no. But when you put your trust and faith completely in him, he gives you peace to accept what his will is. And I promise you that you will not be disappointed in HIM! Give faith a try! Put God to the test! And see what he will do in your life! Don't be afraid of the outcome, but TRUST IN HIM!

Psalms 18:30 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him"

Psalms 34:22 "The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate"

Psalms 37:5  "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass"


12 years after my death sentance I still trust in my Lord!



~Sarah