Twelve years ago, I launched myself as an entrepreneur. Because I was serving God, I felt God would bless my little businesses. I mean, that was the least He could do! After all, I served Him already for almost 20 years. Confidently, I got my savings and poured it all into food carts. I started with a "squid balls" cart. I stationed it on the sidewalk, very near a market and a municipal hall. Perfect location, I said. But the results were pathetic. Some days, I was breaking even. Some days, I was losing money. I felt very discouraged. But I told myself, "No worries. I'll try again."
So I bought two more food carts. This time, it was a hotdog stand and an ice cream scooping station. I rented space in a new mall here in Ortigas Center. But month after month, I was losing money. Soon, I was forking out money just to pay for my rent and salaries of my workers.
Finally, before the year was over, I had to accept defeat, and close all the food stores. My entrepreneurial ambitions were now dashed to the ground. I lost P600,000+. That may not be big for you, but that was my life savings as a missionary.
I felt depressed. I asked God, "Lord, why did you not bless my businesses?" I was confused. I told myself, "Perhaps God doesn't want me to be an entrepreneur. Perhaps He just wants me to be a preacher."
For many months, I didn't know what to do. I was lost. I was like a ship trapped in a thick fog. What should I do now? Looking back, I now know what God was doing...
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What Will It Be: Thorns Or Clouds?
Like the Mommy Eagle, God stopped feeding me. When provision stops, God isn't saying, "I've decided not to love you today." When your provision stops, God is saying, "I'll provide for you in a greater and more abundant way."
Like Mommy Eagle, God removed the soft cushion of my nest. My food businesses were like sharp prickly thorns beneath me. Every little move I made was painful. When your life becomes painful, God isn't saying, "I don't care for you." When life becomes painful, it means God is saying, "I have a better place for you."
Like Mommy Eagle, God was pushing me out of my nest. But I jumped back right in, only to be hurt again. I have seen this happen with people in toxic relationship. They get very hurt in the relationship and cry buckets of tears. But soon, they just jump back right in-only to get hurt again. They get attached to the
toxic relationship.
But pain is life's messenger. It's saying, "There's a better place for you. You weren't born to live around thorns. You were born to soar above the clouds."
