Chadash

Chadash.

It's the Hebrew word for "new."

God is all about the Chadash business... taking old, worn out people and making them new.  Restoring the broken with new wholeness.  Replacing pain and sadness with new joy.   In fact, chadash is used 57 times in the Old Testament.  God must have truly loved that word!

What I love about chadash is that it truly means brand new.  A fresh, new thing.  So instead of restoring an old piece of furniture by slapping a coat of paint on it, it's like tearing that one up, throwing it in the fire, and building a completely new one out of new lumber.  New bones. New life. Fresh.

Jesus' blood does this for us.  His blood shed on the cross for us covers our sins and allows us to be in right standing with God.  We are given new life through Him.  New mercies.  New grace.  New chances.  The old has passed away, the new life has begun!

God has been doing a lot of chadash things in me recently.

Over the summer, He began to press on my heart to explore going back to school to pursue further post-graduate education.  I visited with a couple of my trusted grad school professors and friends who reminded me of my dream to become a professor at a university someday.  Teaching has always been a passion of mine.  But I've been a little busy raising babies for the past few years!  I have begun exploring Masters of Divinity programs that will eventually lead me into PhD programs.  I'm closer than I was over the summer, but still working on finalizing when, where, and how I will pursue that dream.

God has also pressed me to start looking for ways I can provide for our family.  If I want to go back to school, I need to find a way to pay for it!  Our family has never lived off of loans (with the exception of our mortgage), and we do not intend to start now.  So I've explored several ways I can work from home, or work out of the home with minimal hours, to allow me to stay with our girlies as much as possible.

Which leads me to this newest, newbie, new door God has opened for me!

I've decided to pursue starting a business with Young Living.  This is a multi-level marketing company that empowers so many people to earn a living simply by using products they love and sharing them with others.

My experience with Young Living is not fresh.  I've been using their essential oils for over three years now, and their cleaning products for over a year.  In the past, I'd either been gifted the oils, ordered through a friend, or purchased them at retail price from the website.  But one night a couple weeks ago it dawned on me: if I already love this company and their products, why not start benefitting financially?

If you know me, entrepreneurship is NOT one of my gifts.  Writing, teaching, encouraging... those all line up with my DNA.  But selling products to others?  Eek!  Totally unknown territory for me, which can also mean terrifying territory.

But, I am seeking to be obedient to a gift God has placed in my path that could lead to further blessings for our family and our family's future.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says:

"Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert."

I feel like God urging me to avoid the thoughts that I can't do this, won't be successful at this, and that I am going to fail.  Come on, those are lies!  God never calls us into something and then leaves our side.

But whenever we are about to start something new, isn't that when doubt starts to set in?  It's time to stop pondering things of the past, and look forward to the chadash moments God has for you.  Not the "thrift store new" or "new to you" things.... the brand-spanking, never-before-seen moments He wants to walk you into.

And just like God promises the Israelites to make a roadway for them in the wilderness, so I believe God wants that for me, too.  To show me an impossible way to accomplish this new task.  To be the One I lean on for guidance, wisdom, and encouragement.  To boldly step into something I'm not equipped to do without Him.  To swim in those rivers in the desert, being refreshed and made new.

As we close out 2018, maybe you're thinking of new things you'd like to try next year, new places you'd like to explore, new adventures to experience.  Maybe God is calling you to go back to school, or start a new business, or quit your job and find a new one.  Maybe you just found out you're going to have a baby, or you finally got a placement for a foster or adoptive child you've been praying for.  Maybe God is calling you to try going back to that church you've been invited to several times.  Or better yet, maybe you're finally ready to jump into this whole "Jesus-thing" I've written about so often in the past, and experience new life for yourself!  (If that's the case, I'd be so honored to pray for you).

Whatever chadash moments God has in store for you, I can assure you, you can trust Him to guide you through the desert.  And not just on a small footstep path where a few have gone before.  No, he promises a roadway- well-designed and engineered, sturdy, able to pass through whatever terrain is in the unknown.

Here's to new!

All for His glory,

Amy