Persistence: Lesson from Ari

This was the sound I was awoken to...over and over and over at a little before 5 am.  This is Ari's way of saying "I need to potty". Of course he's learned to associate going outside with ringing the bell so every now and again, he rings the bell just to go outside and play. The thing is, if I (or my husband) don't move, he just continues to do this and it becomes more forceful. We sometimes wonder where he gets the strength from in the little body to bang on the bell with the force and fervor that he does.

 As I lay in bed just trying to ignore the sound and go back to sleep, I began thinking of this persistance.  I fell back asleep smiling at his stubbornness. I found there were two lessons to consider in this experience, the first of which is about our persistence.  I'm a firm believer in never giving up. In pressing forwarding or pushing until something happens. My very good friend has a book about this. You can see more about it here.  There are so many inspirational or motivational quotes about this that I'm sure I don't need to spend a lot of time convincing you.

Before I leave though, I thought we should revisit a Biblical story that provides clear support for the concept that we should continue praying, seeking, pursuing after the goal or outcome that you desire.

 Luke 18:2-8 [The Message] 

 The Story of the Persistent Widow 

  1-3Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' 

4-5"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.'" 

 6-8Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"

Have you grown tired or weary? Are you about to give up...? DON'T. One of my favorite concepts is hope. I believe there is always hope, well as long as we are living, there are opportunities to pursue and achieve. So be encouraged, however, I suggest you also be wise. If the means you have been trying to get something isn't working, maybe it is time to reassess your strategy...or even your goal. If you are a Christian, how does your strategy or goal line up with God's plans and purpose for you? Even if you aren't a Christian, does the strategy make logical sense? Is your goal attainable?

 I would never suggest that you limit your thinking/vision/plans but sometimes (in fact most times), the super big out-of-this-world goal requires smaller goals to get you there.  Maybe you can't identify your goals and you have just been chasing the proverbial wind. Well, check out a previous blog post on goals and get to writing and strategizing. However, be reminded that whatever point you are at in your journey, DO NOT GIVE UP.

So on this Friday, the lesson from Ari is to continue ringing the bell until it is clear to whomever is the gate-keeper, that you have a need.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

oh! if you want to see more of Ari and his shenanigans...to really see his persistence, click on the video link above that says Ari & playpen (it should show up after you have watched the short clip). Just know that he did that over and over until he was able to get out.

If this isn't love...

Yesterday morning, my husband and I had a conversation based on a post on Jeremy Statton's blog. I sent the post to him as an object lesson for him but it turned out to be a humbling moment for me. The discussion that ensued was "animated". Not quite an argument but definitely with enough passion and volume to be confused for one. During the discussion, my husband and I went back and forth about who was the actual "jerk" in the story. Was it Jeremy for expecting someone to move out of their comfortable space for another or was it the guy for not having compassion on a stranger and his very freaked out child.

The back and forth from this situation led us to the general idea of whether it is "Christian" to give up something for someone else (especially if this brings discomfort to the person who is giving up)? I couldn't provide a yes or no..in the sense that I would not judge a person as not being a Christian because they did not give up something for someone else. I went even further to talk about my own convictions: that I would be willing to sacrifice for someone else once I wasn't putting myself in jeopardy. You know, I'd switch seats cause that's not a big deal, what would sitting uncomfortably for a couple of hours do to me? I continued my monologue to indicate that maybe I would be less willing to give up something if my own well-being was threatned: psychologically or physically. I'm not a masochist, but I am compassionate (is what I was thinking). If I will admit, I was quite proud in my convictions.

His response (and I wish I could quote because it was so eloquently stated but in a nutshell):

if we (as Christians) were not suppose to live sacrificially through and through? Aren't we supposed to imitate God? and didn't He sacrifice? Wouldn't he give up something/anything even if it jeapordized his own health for us?

Me: blank stare

I honestly don't even know what I was thinking as I just sat there for the split second staring at him. I think I stuttered some lame response but eventually, I (less emphatically) agreed that yea, I guess we should be living sacrificially.

Shortly thereafter the conversation ended as I needed to get ready for work. However, the conversation with myself was not over. I felt so convicted.

What was I doing?

Was what I offered really loving my neighbor?

When had my "love" developed conditions? Was it always like this?

I repented of having conditions on my "love" and opened my heart again to LOVE. The real stuff as defined by Christ's ultimate act (John 3:16-17). As I continued to process the events of the morning, I knew I had to share this. Not because it's such a victory that I want to share but because it pointed out how easy it is for us (ME) to get prideful. It's interesting how I read that post, thoughtfully considered it and still walked away without truly getting the message for me. It took a situation where I had set out to prove a point, where the bigger point was proven to me.

Thoughts or comments? Leave them below!

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Shrewd or fool?

This past week as I was MIA from blogging, I was busy getting those to-do's done (see here). One of them was getting the business license for It's Girl Time and planning the first paid event. woohooo! :D Throughout this week, there have been loose discussions about how I plan to make a profit. What kind of returns I'm looking to get..etc etc. And to be honest, I haven't been thinking that big for this business. I have so many other stuff to do, this is really a part-time, fun means for me to get a lil dollar here and there while also doing something that I love...planning, organizing and hosting events for little girls. Of course, being who I am, I couldn't just host parties, I had to add an extra "oomph" and I promise to share more about that in posts to come.

So back to the matter at hand - these conversations about profit and business etc. You should know that I am not a profit-driven business woman. It is what it is. I much prefer to give something away, to someone who needs, values or desires the product or service than to sell...especially to sell at a very hiked up price. If I can make $10 off of something I'm just as content as if I can make $50.  I consider it a strength and a weakness. [I know some people would suggest that I not be in "business" at all but I think there is a place for hearts like mine with a strong partner(s)/wise counsel ;)] With this in mind, as I planned the first event and provided the parents with a quote, I was strongly admonished that I didn't make sufficient profit off this event and if I really wanted to make money, I'm going to need to add a percentage or amount to each external vendor I use. Fine. I accepted that as wise counsel; I'm no dummy, I know I can't trade off items at cost and expect to make a profit, however the "problem" came about at the amount I was encouraged to add. I got a product for free, I passed it along to the customer for 1/4 of the cost, thinking I paid nothing for it so anything I charge is a "profit". What I charged ensures that all additional out-of-pocket expenses are now covered while still giving us a dollar to claim as profit. I felt I had heeded the previous advice given and was being a smart businesswoman. Apparently not; instead, I was advised that I should have charged full cost or very near to it. That bothered me...in fact it still bothers me. I try to be open to the advice of others and not be a know-it-all because I'm not. There are too many topics or situations that are completely novel to me. However, I've got a very healthy conscience that is guided/shaped by my personal convictions and it led me to begin to question where should the line between profit and killing the customer be drawn? What is fair and wise business ethics and what does the proverbially used car salesman look like in this line of business?

Oh, the joys of running a new business.

Last week sometime, in my personal devotion I read Psalm 37.

"It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." Psalm 37: 16-19 NLT

You may be wondering what this have to do with my pricing dilemma? Well the reason I was instructed to "tax" the customers was to make a profit. The reason behind making a profit is to make money/get rich etc. However, the clash of beliefs come in that I don't believe the only way to become rich/live comfortably/make money is to make a profit. I believe that God is my financial source and He has a number of ways to ensure that I have all I need and even my wants (see here). Yes, making a profit is one way, but if this is to the harm of my "neighbors" (customers) then I believe it becomes wrong. On top of all this, as David so eloquently said in verse 25:

"Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread." Psalm 37: 25 NLT

It's only been 31 years I've been on this earth, 6 of which I have no recollection of, but I can truly attest to this verse above. Regardless of how bleak the situation looked: when daddy was not there and mommy was struggling alone with 3 kids; when blended family was created and two minimum wage parents had 6 dependents (all under the age of 14); when I was in the US at school...all 3 stories end the same way, I was never without. Someway, somehow "enough" came my way to ensure that whatever need was present - was met [legally].

So now stepping off of my soapbox and tying this all together. :) I think I had to have this conversation very early in the business life...Was all this necessary for this particular situation? Maybe not, but I think this was a lesson for me in defining what type of business person I will be, very early in this process. I needed this scenario and conversation to get my head in the right place, that is recognizing that my financial status is not limited to a profit from the customers of It's Girl Time. That I don't have to "kill" people to live, or even be successful. That I can be fair and still not "lose". God's always got my back. He is Jireh! With that said, [trying not to be holier-than-thou], I know that there is nothing wrong with earning a profit; I plan to. In fact, in order for the business to survive, we need to! There is also nothing wrong with marking up prices. However, for this business, mark ups will be added as deemed fair and not an opportunity to "get rich". When unique situations arise, as this one did, where we can provide a break to a person, we will determine what we need to break even, what we need to make a profit and will assess the final cost based on these factors. Basically, my motivation in pricing, will be fair and as much as possible, a win-win for us and for the customers.

Totally no judgment here. I'm not saying you have to run your business the same way. In fact, what would you do? Or for those of you who have already had situations like this- what have you done? Leave your responses below in the comments section. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, opinions, perspectives on this subject.

Grace peace and love,
Gia