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Are you careless or wise when making decisions? Learn how to discern seasons to align with God's Will · The Entrepreneur's Wife: Finding Purpose as the Helper of a Small Business Owner in a Feminist Obsessed World

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: And what is up guys?
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Entrepreneur's Wife podcast.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Carly Rainz.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: This is a podcast where we talk all about finding purpose as the helpers to our small business owners in this feminist obsessed world.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: And today we are going to talk about seasons and how to truly know what season of life you are in.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: What the heck is going on in your life, why it's important to discern the seasons of your life, what happens when we don't discern seasons of our lives, and then some tips for how you can tell when seasons are changing, and really just that communication with the Lord on what He wants you to do.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: So this kind of came about where I was having a conversation with a friend, and I really want you to ask yourself the question of do I determine when seasons change, or do am I sensitive to the Lord and really letting the Holy Spirit guide me for when seasons change?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the inspiration for this conversation really comes out of Ecclesiastes 3.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go there real fast, where Solomon, if you don't know who Solomon is, Solomon is this great wise guy.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's known in the Bible as the wisest man in the world.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: He actually asks the Lord for wisdom.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord comes to him and says, Hey, what do you want?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'll give you anything.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And rather than asking for money or possessions or fame or like anything like that, Solomon asks for wisdom.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: And the Lord blesses him and says, I will give you wisdom.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: And on top of that, I will make your life prosperous and I will bless your life.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so Solomon was David's son.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: So David is a really cool character in the Bible that we always talk about.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think him being his son just shows a lot of a father leading his son, teaching him.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he probably saw a lot, heard a lot.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: And for him to ask for wisdom is really important in our conversation today.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So he writes, Solomon writes Proverbs, the book of Proverbs, he writes the book of Ecclesiastes, which we're gonna get into.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And the book of Ecclesiastes is really cool.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's basically like it's a fun book, it's really short.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage you to go read it because it's basically like anything that you chase after in this life is like chasing after the wind.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like you think once I get to this point in my life, I'm gonna be completely satisfied.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Once I make this amount of money, once I reach this goal, once me and my family are at this point in our life, like then we're gonna reach full satisfaction.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: And Solomon basically paints this picture in Ecclesiastes that like you never get there.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And that really it's all in vain, it's all chasing after the wind, and the only thing that can truly satisfy you is the Lord.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like when I reach this point, when I get here, when we do this.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So in chapter three, he writes what's called a time for everything.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna read you this first part.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: It says, for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, sorry, my husband texted me, wanted to make sure it wasn't an emergency.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so it says, for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck uh up what is planted, a time to kill, a time to heal, a time to break down, a time to build up, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance, a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace, a time to reframe, a time to seek, a time to lose, a time to keep, a time to cast away, a time to tear, a time to sew, a time to keep silent, a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time of peace.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So he lists all these different times.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um when I was reading this, like preparing for this podcast, I really thought of the story of Joseph because Joseph's life, he has all these different seasons.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, if we will, his first season is with his family, his 12 or I guess 11 brothers, his dad, he's living at home.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Then the next season is him getting sold into slavery by his brothers.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that was a big change.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: The next season is him working Potiphar's house.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: And if you know the story, Potiphar's wife ends up trying to sleep with um Joseph, and Joseph refrains from her, and there's this one part where she like literally tries to take the clothes off of him, and he runs out of the house naked, and she is embarrassed, and so she accuses him of trying to sleep with her.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: So then he goes to jail, of course.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then that's the next season of him in jail, and he finds um in jail, he's like promoted, blessed, all this stuff.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he is sorry, my baby's making noise, so it's kind of distracting.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: But he's in jail and he finds the um two officials that worked for Pharaoh at the time because they're in Egypt, and that was a new season of him interpreting their dreams, and then there's a season of him waiting because they both told him, Hey, we'll we'll tell Pharaoh about you so that you can get out of jail, and they forget, and then he's waiting, and that's a season, season of waiting, and then finally he's promoted to second in command, which was kind of his final who ra season, and he's given a lot of responsibility.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I look at everything that led up to him being second in command, and he starts.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you go read the start story, he starts as this really immature boy who gets a vision from the Lord, and he is so excited about it.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: He kind of doesn't have discretion.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's kind of telling everybody, he's not really discerning who's for him, who's not for him, because his brothers didn't like him.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: He's just very foolish with his words, very loose with his words.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I can be guilty of that.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: And he kind of gets himself in trouble.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't want to say it was his own fault for you know causing his brothers to hate him, but he is just not very wise or discerning with his mouth and with what the Lord is telling him.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And um, he, I say that to say he starts as a mature boy and he doesn't really have character.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the vision that he saw, he was not equipped and ready for that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Even though at that time he wanted it, he wasn't ready for it.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: And this has been really impactful in my personal life.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just with the different seasons that we go through, I try to keep that in mind that every season that Joseph went through, it was a training block for him to really prepare him for the vision that he had seen as a young boy.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: All of these little testers are preparing him, preparing his heart, his integrity, his love, how he makes decisions, growing him in wisdom.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: They're all moments that the Lord is using for good so that when Joseph is in second in command, he actually has the capacity to take on that responsibility and handle it well.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the biggest thing that I would encourage us with today is that God might give us an idea or a vision right now.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the question is, is like, well, what season does God want me to steward right now?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing what God might want me to do, but am I really prepared for it?
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I, guys, I get this whenever it comes to our business, being an entrepreneur's wife.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: I get this whenever it comes to writing and being an author.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Because every author's dream is to be a best-selling author.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: But to actually think about that, to actually think about, oh, my husband being a very successful entrepreneur, or us being very successful business owners, or me being a very successful author, that's gonna come with a lot of weight.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I have to be prepared for that.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: I have to be wise in what I say and how I represent myself and how I represent my husband and the company.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I just really want us to ask ourselves, is what I'm wanting, am I actually prepared for it?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Or do I need to be a little patient and take some time and let the Lord mold and shape me for what he wants to do?
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there is a time for everything.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think keeping that in mind and remembering that a no today doesn't mean a no 10 years from now.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I am sure, guys, that Joseph was very, like he wondered probably, okay, Lord, I have this dream.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why are all of these things happening?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure there were questions and there were doubts, but I also am confident that Joseph really trusted in the Lord and he had faith that even if whatever is happening in this current season, he had full confidence that God could get him to what he saw in his dreams.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I just really admire um just Joseph's endurance and like his perseverance through everything that he went through.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: So um the first question that I want to ask is what season are you in currently?
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's evaluate what season we're in right now.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um and you know, like for me, I'm raising a family.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: I have young kids, I'm raising a family.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um also I there in Ecclesiastes, it said a time to build.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: It said, let me find it, a time to break down and a time to build.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like Briston and I are in a season of building.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's building the business, and then there are writing projects that I am currently building.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: I am trying to build my author platform.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to build my story craft, like really become an expert in how to write a story.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: So that way when I do publish books, they're good.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I want to specify, we hear this verse a lot.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I want it's funny because I I feel like a lot of times it's taken out of context.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: So in this chapter, Ecclesiastes 3, um literally he says later on, he says, um, I just love this.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna read this.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: He says, What gain has the worker for his toil?
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: He has made everything beautiful in its time.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: And and like as women, I feel like we hear that verse, he has made everything beautiful in its time.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: We think of having a baby, like maybe we're struggling with infertility, or you know, maybe we're struggling with body image.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's this idea of like, well, he's made everything beautiful in its time.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Right, but it's funny because in this context, the the actual subtitle is called The God Given Task, and it's really talking about your work, and I think about dreams that I have.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like I was I was literally thinking about this last night.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think about dreams that I have.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not in that season, I'm in this other season over here.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so when I read that verse, he has made everything beautiful in its time.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: It inspires me and it gives me the hope and the confidence that okay, right now I'm in this season, but God has made everything beautiful in its time.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: So that doesn't mean that what I'm seeing prophetically is not going to come to pass.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: It just means I'm not in that season right now.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I need to be patient, which patience literally means long suffering.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I need to be patient and really ask the question of, well, what can I be growing in?
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: What can I be stewarding right now?
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that way when I am in this season, it fully comes to pass of what it says of he's gonna make it beautiful and it's time.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: And literally, guys, that's the story of Joseph.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like Joseph, today in our team meeting, we have we have a team meeting every Tuesday morning.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Today in our team meeting, Briston literally used the verse when Joseph says, You talking to his brothers, he said, You intended to put me into slavery for evil.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: That was evil intention, but God used it for good.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that's this verse God has made everything beautiful in its time, meaning that when Joseph was put into slavery, that season did not look beautiful.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: That season probably looked horrendous, but it became beautiful in its time because of what Joseph did long term in when his dream came to pass.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, guys, Joseph saved people.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Joseph stewarded the harvest and the wealth, if you will, the produce of Egypt, so that way people didn't die when a famine came.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so this verse of God has made everything beautiful in its time is so true when we look at the life of Joseph.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, okay, I love this verse too because I want to ask you before I read this verse, I want to ask you if you really are enjoying your job.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I I want to also ask, why do you work the job that you work?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And have you ever asked the Lord if you're supposed to be doing that, if you're supposed to be in that industry, if you're supposed to be where you're at?
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I say that because Solomon goes on to say, I perceive that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: Also, that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all of his toil, that is God's gift to man.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think many times, I heard this in college so much, y'all.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: So many times when you ask somebody uh, like, what's your major?
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Why'd you pick this major?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: So many times people would say, Oh, I picked accounting.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Why did you pick accounting?
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm gonna make a lot of money.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that was their motivation for a job.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking, um, this actually happened to me.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was a graphic design major, and towards my senior year, we took a class and we had to really like start thinking about after graduation, was the whole point of the class.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: So my professor made us like apply for jobs in the industry that we wanted to work for.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, during this time, guys, I really had a heart for nonprofits and charities and ministries and just 501c3 um programs.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I started getting inspired with things like that.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember my professor pulled me to the side when he saw that I had applied for those types of jobs, and he said, Hey, he said, and guys, he had great intention.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: He said, I just want to let you know that you can make a lot of money working for you know design agencies and for-profit companies.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can make a lot of money doing that.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: He said, But if you go the route that you're thinking about going, you're not gonna be able to make a lot of money.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember thinking, like, okay, this guy means well, like he truly means well.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: But my motivation for work has never and hopefully will never be money.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I I understand we need to live, we need to pay bills, like I do understand that, but I also grieve when I hear people dread going to work every single day.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason that they picked their jobs was money motivation.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, you're gonna get to the end of your life and you never took pleasure in the thing you spent the majority of your time doing, and it's it's honestly really, really sad.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think people are afraid of change.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think people are afraid to take risk, which is another big reason why they get stuck.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want that to be you, and so I want to ask, like, have you asked the Lord if that's where you're supposed to be?
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want a resource to help you understand how to know, like, am I in the job I'm supposed to be in?
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Am I supposed to be doing what I'm supposed to be, what the Lord wants me to do?
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: Am I following his will?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I want you to read The Dreamgiver.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, The Dreamgiver is is it's a little book and it is a perfect resource.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: I got it when I was a senior in high school.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so thankful for it.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: I read it my freshman year of college.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: It is a great um eye-opener and just motivator, and it walks you through like how to discern what the Lord wants you to do for your life.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: And it takes you through this story of this character named Ordinary.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: And he is doing his thing, he's in his comfortable life, and he's just living, you know, like a normal, regular person.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And he feels this draw, he feels this calling to step out and do something different.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just it's an amazing story, guys.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: I just highly encourage you go read it because it truly shows you the realistic perspective of taking risks with the Lord versus staying comfortable in your own life that you're already in.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um let's see.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Do you enjoy okay?
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um, yeah, I already went over that.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I think I also learned this when I was getting my master's.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um we were building a financial literacy program during my master's, and like I said, money is a big motivator for people to get a job.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And my only caution with that is I fear that you are making decisions based on a dollar amount and not based on the gifts and the talents and the passions that God has given you.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like watching Briston build the business that he's built, I truly believe that you can make money doing anything if you have the right people and you have the right education and you work hard at it and you have the Lord behind you, you can make a living off of doing anything.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I truly believe it.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny because Briston decided to start this business not based on money.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, if you if we go back and you look at the uh prosperity record of the industry that we're in, it's very small.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like this isn't the type of business that you would pursue to be the big bucks, honestly, and to have multiple employees and things like that.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because most people who do what we do, it's a one-man show.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's they're the race director, they never really step out of the race director position.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's all that they do.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: They put on races, and yes, your races can grow, but again, it's such a small, minute niche that it's not very prosperous, if you will.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's really a want that people do, it's not a need that they need to have.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so um he decided to start this business based on passion.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like he wanted to do entrepreneurship and he loved running.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so he thought, you know what, why not put the two together and start a running business?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it was so funny because we would have people come up to us and they would say, Yeah, like if you want to make a good living, then you better not become a race director or you better not go into the this this type of business because you're not gonna make very much.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, that's a lie.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, from their perspective, they might think that that's true, but I want us to look at our habits, how are we spending money?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: I want us to look at our time, how are we managing our time?
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I want us to look at are we growing?
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are we learning?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Are we growing?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I want us to look at are we following the seasons and the discernment from the Lord?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we have great habits, if we manage our time well, we manage our money well, if we are depending on the Lord, then like.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: The equation to all those things is only growth.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's pretty simple, like it's pretty practical too.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I want you to think about well, what is it that I'm passionate about?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: What are like I want you to write down what are my gifts?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: What are my talents?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: What are passions that God has placed inside of me?
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And really, guys, pray about it.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, pray about it.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: I I remember I struggled with this.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel like Briston just knew what he wanted to do.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: He knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur, he knew he wanted, he loves running, he wanted to do his own business.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: That I felt like was easy for him to decide.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I always knew I loved writing.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: But in terms of you know, the different intricate parts, it's a lot of figuring out.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that's okay.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I'm going back to seasons.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think Joseph saw the vision.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: He saw, okay, this is this, I can see myself doing this.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm passionate about this.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm I'm very good at this, you know.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think he saw that, but getting there was a lot of every day he had to depend on the Lord.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: And when something would happen, he had two choices.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: He could jump ship and abandon the Lord, or he could keep trusting the Lord's plan that the Lord was gonna get him to that vision.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it's the same way for our life.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, if I know I'm where I'm supposed to be, then that is confidence that I'm in the season I'm supposed to be in.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then what I'm going to get to next is that we have to be discerning and find wisdom for when our seasons change.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny, guys, because I feel like as adults, so I'm 27 and my husband's 24.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like for most of your childhood life, there are a lot of changes, right?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: You go from elementary school to middle school to high school to college, you're changing sports.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: You have sports in the fall, sports in the winter, sports in the spring, sports in the summer.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's constant change going on in your life.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then I feel like after you graduate college, you get a job, and all of a sudden, there's not that many changes.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, every day throughout the entire year, I'm going to the same job and I might get a promotion, but my work is pretty similar for the most part.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my routines are pretty much the same.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: I eat the same, I do the same things, and it kind of becomes monotonous.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like if we're not careful, we can get into this rut where we just live in a constant stagnant season.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we never actually ask ourselves and ask the Lord, like, oh, when are is my season gonna change?
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: When am I supposed to pivot?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: When am I supposed to turn?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: When am I supposed to change?
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel like for a lot of American Christians, it's okay, Sundays we go to church, okay, then I go to work throughout the week.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: Wednesdays you go to youth.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now we have these activities, and it's the same thing over and over and over again until you reach the age of 65.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I feel like we buy the house and then we live in the house until we die.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like we never think, oh, maybe God wants me to move, maybe God wants me to relocate, maybe I need to change jobs, maybe I need to do this.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm hope I'm hoping I'm encouraging you to do that because as someone who has moved a lot, I can promise you that it's worth it.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this is the biggest thing about what Bristol and I talk about a lot.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: Change is scary.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually have a quote that I wrote in a paper, and it says, Greatness is not found in the safety of tradition, but in the unknown path of change.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: So if you look at history and you look at every great time period, every great historical moment, there was some type of big change occurrence that happened.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so for you, if you're sitting here and you're like, man, I want my life to be better, like I want to be closer to the Lord, I I want to see the vision come to pass, like I want to have these things happen.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, it's gonna require change, and change is hard, but like I said, it's the unknown path of change, and it's unknown to you, but it's not unknown to the Lord.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: So this is where we need to find wisdom.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm gonna go to Proverbs 14.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: I've been reading a Proverbs a day, and let me see.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, Proverbs 14.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: So there's different verses in Proverbs 14 that I want to read to you.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: The first is verse 8, Proverbs 14, 8.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: It says, The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the full folly of fools is deceiving.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm gonna read you all those verses and then I'm kind of gonna break them down.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: So the next one is verse 16, which says, One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um the last one is verse 22, which says, Do they not go astray who devise evil?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: So there's three things that I want to point out.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is in verse eight, it talks about the prudent discern his way.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: So in the verse 16 talks about how a fool is careless.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: So to me, that means that if I'm a wise, discerning person, I am constantly asking the Lord and discerning the path that I'm on.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm constantly asking him about the decisions that I'm making, asking him about the job that I'm doing, asking him about the season that I'm in.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm constantly discerning my way.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm never at a point to where I'm careless and I don't think with intention about the path that I'm on.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the path that you're on is called life.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um so the next thing is planning ahead.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: So in verse 22, it talks about do they not go straight to devise evil, but those who devise good meet set fest love and faithfulness.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: So one person is planning evil, he's devising evil, he's coming up with a plan of evil, and the other person is devising good, he's coming up with a plan of good.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I think many times you okay?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think many times we assume, I think that planning is bad, like and planning is actually really wise and really good.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I think like how do so if you you're asking the question, okay, Carly, how do I plan?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: How am I not careless, but I plan, but I'm also open to the idea of the Lord changing my season when he wants to change it, right?
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: So there's two ends of the spectrum.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: You have a careless fool who never discerns his way, is just going about life.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's what I think of when I think of a careless fool.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: They're just like mindlessly going through life, not thinking about where their steps, where their decisions are leading them.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: They're not in tune with the Lord, they're just going through the motions, right?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then on the other end of the spectrum, you have a wise, discerning, prudent person who is constantly evaluating their steps, every decision that they make, constantly evaluating, does this align with the Lord's will?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: Is this his plan for my life?
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: And they they plan, they devise good.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so the how we get from here, the foolish person, to here is simply intention.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's being intentional.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think about like I think about like you can practically apply this to your life.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: Think about okay, how do I handle my finances?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Am I a careless fool who never discerns how I spend my money?
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Or am I wise, prudent, who is constantly stewarding, okay, is this aligning with the Lord's will?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: Am I praying to the Lord about how to spend my money?
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Am I being wise and making wise financial decisions, right?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: You can think about this in your fitness.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, am I carelessly not taking care of my body?
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: Am I drinking enough water?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: Am I actually doing movement multiple times a week?
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, simple things like that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, or am I just putting my body to wreck, right?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: You can think about this in a whole bunch of different scenarios spiritually.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: Am I carelessly not being intentional with the Lord?
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know about God, but I'm not in direct communication with him, or am I discerning his way?
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: And the biggest thing that I I can't tell you like what to do.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: I all I can tell you is just to try and do it.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're like, okay, I recognize that I have been a fool when it comes to evaluating the seasons of my life.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I have not been intentional about praying to the Lord about what season we're in, or I've not been intentional about the job that I have, or I've not been intentional about my passions.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the biggest thing.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: Our pastor is actually doing a sermon series about eternity.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things he says, and there's a book, there's this is book number two.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry guys, I I love books.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's called Driven by Eternity, and it's by John Bevere, and you can there's an actual audio version of it, so you can listen to it on Audible.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it also has these characters that live their life, and they get judged based on how they live their life.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: And John Bevere actually breaks down each person's life and why God sent them where they sent them, whether he sent them to hell or whether he sent them to heaven and why.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it's very interesting because there is this one character, and her name is Faint Heart, and she starts off so strong, y'all.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like she starts off, she is known as like the Bible thumping girl, like she is just defending the Lord and she just knows scripture, and she starts off, and then as her life goes on, she starts becoming careless and she starts becoming foolish, and she assumes that her decisions aren't going to impact her eternity.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: And she she falls off the wagon, if you will, and she stops being discerning in her seasons, and then all of a sudden she's standing before the Lord and she goes to hell.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's because she stopped being a prudent, wise person who's if you just just read Proverbs, it's a great book.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and she and she becomes a fool.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I just encourage you to read that book because it really opens my eyes to every decision that I make.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: And like, why do I make the decisions that I make?
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: And and this is a big thing.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: Am I do I care more about what other people think?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I make decisions, is about external factors of other people, or do I care about what the Lord thinks and what he's gonna say on judgment day?
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what our pastor is going over is Christians automatically assume the only question that they're gonna be asked is, do you believe in Jesus on judgment day?
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like, are you going to heaven or are you going to hell?
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: But there's a second question for Christians, which is, well, what did you do with what I gave you?
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, did you do anything?
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: Did you devise good or did you devise evil?
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: Did you, were you a careless fool or were you a wise servant who actually did something with it?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: And going back to our seasons of life, we might not be in the dream season that you know, like Joseph saw, but we still are accountable to every decision that we make.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like I can't sit here, and because I'm not an author a published author yet, and I don't have a bunch of books out, and I'm not a best-selling author, doesn't mean that my decisions don't have impact.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Everything that I do is like stones adding up to hopefully one day, whenever I become that.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I really think that the Lord is looking at, okay, well, what are you gonna do with a little?
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are you gonna do with this podcast?
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: What are you gonna do with the time that you do have to write?
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_00: What are you gonna do with your social media account?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: What are you gonna do with your family?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: How, how, when you get in a disagreement with a family member, like how do you respond to that?
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: When you how do you take care of your kids?
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because taking care of your kids is gonna be a direct line to how you communicate and take care of other kids.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, every season matters, and every season is a building block to the next season.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, guys, for the longest time, I just didn't see that.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't like I wanted to be where I prophetically saw, I felt like the Lord was like telling me, like, oh, this is in store for you or whatever.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to be there like right now, and I totally missed the important moments of God making everything beautiful in its time.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I like, for instance, I wish I could go back to college and just realize like so much of what God was doing in those beginning years.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, even with college athletics and like getting up every day and committing to something, even when I didn't want to do it.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I didn't always want to go to practice, I didn't always want to work hard, I didn't always want to run the workouts.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: But doing that really helps me now when I don't want to go for a six-mile run or I don't want to lift, or I don't want to XYZ, I don't want to write.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I established those early on, it helps me now.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, the spiritual disciplines that I started when I was in college, that's really helped me now as a mom because I don't have the time longevity-wise that I used to have.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when I was in college, I could sit for an hour to two hours just reading the word, praying to the Lord, journaling.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now I have a toddler and a baby.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I got like 10 minutes because more than 10 minutes, usually my toddler's gonna run up to me and interrupt, uh, or my baby's gonna start crying and need something, or you know, whatever.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like those spiritual disciplines really helped because now it's like, okay, I don't have an hour, but I have 10 minutes to read a verse.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then if I need to go do something like change my kids' diaper or get them food or whatever, I can meditate on the scripture that I just read and think about it and think about what the Lord wants to show me through it, and then apply that to my life and say, okay, I I got out of it.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I might have only been in my word for 10 minutes, but I got out of it a big chunk because I meditated on it afterwards.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And had I not known how to do that when I learned that in college, I wouldn't know how to do that now.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope that that's helpful.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but okay, so the last part I'm gonna ask some questions and I want you to think about them.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, are you discerning the path God has for you and your family?
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, I I like I literally was talking to a friend the other day, and like I want to ask you, like, do you have goals for your family?
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: And like, guys, they don't have to be like these big elaborate goals.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: They could literally be like, in this season of our life, we want to have family game night once a week.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like that was a thing when I was in middle school.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in middle school, we had family game night in our basement when we lived in Iowa, and we would play the Wii.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I vividly remember this.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_00: We'd play the Wii, we would do like bowling, or we would do tennis, or we'd do, you know, y'all know how they had like those games back then, or we would play Guitar Hero and we'd go against one another, or we might do Mario Kart or Mario Bros.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: Those were like the three different things that we would play, but we'd have game night once a week.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: It was like a thing that we did, and that was a season.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like then we got busy with sports, and sadly it went away.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: You know, maybe a goal is like, okay, twice a week I want to have like a sit-down meal with my family at dinner time, or you know, I want to have date night with my husband, which Bristol and I need to get back to doing that because we've stopped doing that with having two kids, but I want to have like date nights so many nights a week or whatever.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: But like, do you actually have goals for your family and for your life?
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like right now I'm in a author community group, and this is a personal goal that I have, but I'm working on a fun book just to get me to write faster and get the process going quicker.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so I have a goal of writing 500 words a day, Monday through Friday.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: 500 words, guys, is like not that much.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, it's it's really not that much, but it's a goal that I know I can practically do and achieve that.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I've loved having the accountability of a group of women who I can message and say, Hey, I got in my 500 words, or like when they get it their goal done, it motivates me to do my goal.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: If you need fitness inspiration, by the way, you need to go listen to Nick Bear because anytime that I do not want to go do a workout, I just put his podcast on or like a his YouTube video on, and it literally fires me up to go do my workout.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, in case you need fitness inspiration, but do you have goals for your family?
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's a big one.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: You need goals for you, your family, your finances, like your spiritual life, like where do you want to be a year from now?
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so funny.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: I listened to this quote and it's so good, y'all.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: It they literally said, I forget who said it, but this guy said, he said, if you do not write down your goals and a plan to achieve your goals, all those goals are wishes.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: They're not actual goals because actual goals, you make a plan to achieve that goal.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: So if all you're doing is thinking in your head, oh, I want to do this, I want to do this, I want to do this.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you don't actually write it down and make a plan to do it, it's just a wish.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a goal.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we want to turn our wishes into goals.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that's number one.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, question number two is do I pay attention to when the Holy Spirit redirects my life?
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is big, y'all.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is big.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when we decided to move to Texas, so many people were like, what the heck are y'all doing with y'all's lives?
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all literally have like a community in Arkansas.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all have we had like insurance set up with my job and housing and like everything, right?
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: So when God wants to redirect your life, are you aware of it?
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: Or does it take like for some people, it takes like them getting so miserable that they realize, oh, the season has changed, and I'm now realizing it six months later.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: And something that I heard, and this is true, I will say that this is true.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: How do I know when a season has changed?
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like God has me in one area and then the season's changing, and He wants me in another area.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I heard this said when the grace lifts.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: And what does that mean?
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: Grace has to do with favor.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: So how you know that you have grace in a season that you're in is when you are doing something that is actually kind of hard, but it comes, I don't want to say easy, that's like the best way for me to put it.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: It it's it's like you're doing it and you're you're working hard at it, but like you're kind of like, oh, like I'm doing this and it's hard, but it's not that hard.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and there's favor over it, and God is blessing it.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like that, that, and yes, there are hard times, don't get me wrong.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there are times of suffering.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: But what I've seen in my life is is that exactly like college athletics is a beautiful example of that.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it was hard, but I don't know how I did so well because, like, yes, I worked hard, but at the same time, it was the Lord's will.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'll just put it that way.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: It was the Lord's will.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I knew the moment that that grace lifted because y'all, it I just it was that last year.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: I um I did five years because of COVID.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: We got an extra year, and I should not have done that.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: I should not have done the fifth year, and I didn't really pray about it.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just kind of assumed that I should continue in doing it.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it was hard.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_00: I I did not perform as well, I was not getting enough rest.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it I just felt like I kept hitting a wall.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm just hitting this wall and it's not breaking through.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so another example of that is like uh my job that I got after college.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_00: That was that was a whole nother ordeal, which I'm not gonna get into that.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_00: But basically, the gray slifts is how you know that your season is changing.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, like scripture talks about what the end times, like as Christians, we will sense when the end times are here.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're gonna sense the season.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think about like think about practically when seasons change.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, your senses are aware of that.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can see the leaves falling, you can feel the colder air, you can smell the rain coming.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like there, you know when when a season is changing.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same way for our life.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like you can anticipate, and the Lord anticipates when that season of change happens.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want you to overthink it too much.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, the best way for you to know is a season changing, you just have to start putting it to practice.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_00: I can't like I can't give you like these five steps that you do to know that a season is changing.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: You you literally just have to start learning how to hear from the Lord, and then you're gonna be aware of if a season is changing, and it honestly just takes practice.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like I can teach you how to hit a baseball with a bat.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: But once you start doing it, then you're gonna start learning how to hit a baseball with a bat.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um, are you sensitive to his guidance or are you walking in your own understanding?
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a big thing is like when we decided to move to Texas and me not work and us depend on the business, practically as a human, that made no sense.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like from the human's understanding, that made no sense.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now everyone's like, oh my gosh, it's great, it worked out.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's because it was the Lord.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, when we moved into a camper, like, what the heck are y'all doing with y'all's lives?
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: Y'all have a baby.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why are y'all gonna move into a camper?
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that didn't make sense.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just different things just don't look like they're gonna make sense, but when it's from the Lord, it will make sense.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, okay.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: Last question Do you take time to set goals, plan ahead, and ask the Lord what he wants your life to look like as a Christian business owner?
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, this is something Bristol and I constantly have conversations about, is like he mainly handles all the business decisions, but he will come to me to talk about them.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's like we seek the Lord on what to do.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like the other day, he was thinking about hiring somebody, and he was like, Okay, we were for a walk, went for a walk, and he was like, Okay, let's both pray about it.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: What did you hear from the Lord?
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: What did I hear from the Lord?
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: Does it align?
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's important as a husband and wife, and like again, I've said this multiple times in this podcast, but like you have more impact than you think you do.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so learning to be a wise woman and like depend on the Lord and depend on what he wants to say instead of what you want to say is is constantly going through my mind.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's really important because again, like your words matter, and so you know, when your husband is stressed and trying to make a decision, he's probably gonna come to you, and how you respond is really important.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think just always having the heart and the perspective that we want to stay aligned with the Lord in every season of our life, in every season of our business.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I guys, I'm gonna end with this story, but we moved offices.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we actually had a different office in Longview that we originally got.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was a three-room, three-room, connected room office.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_00: And at that time, it was only Briston, me, and Haley, our race director.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we we had Asher, but Asher's remote.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so there was really only three of us in the office.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I remember Briston found the office that we're in now.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's a new office, it's much bigger.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember him coming to me and him being like, Hey, like, I found this office.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, like it has a ton more rooms, it's a it's like double the size, it's a lot bigger than what we're used to.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_00: And he was like, you know, it's more expensive.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, should we get it?
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: Should we stay where we're at?
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember asking him, like, what's the reason for you to stay where you're at?
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember him saying the money.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, he did not want to spend the money on rent at this new place compared to the deal that we got at this old place.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so we prayed about it, and we just both confidently heard, like, go for it.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_00: And and it's so funny now, guys, because we're sitting here, we have Garrett as a race director, we have Sarah as a race director, we have Braden as a race director, we still got Haley, we got Sam.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_00: We have an office full of people, and it's funny because I'm like, I like the other day, I was like, could you imagine being crammed in that three-room office with everybody?
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we wouldn't have all fit.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so this is the point is that like the Lord knows the future.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so sometimes it's scary to make a change.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, Briston practically as a human did not want to make that change, but we both were like, Well, we feel like the Lord's like, go for it.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so we were scared because it was more money, but we made that change, and it's only benefited us, and it's only benefited the business, and like it's been really good for the growth of our company and our team.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_00: And um, we're probably gonna have to get a new place sometime soon, which is a great problem to have.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: But my point is like, had we had we not moved from Arkansas, we would not be where we are today.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, like again, the seasons, like Arkansas was a season, our office in our post office was a season, our office here is a season.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: And like you constantly have to be discerning to know when is that next change?
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because the Lord's going to bless that when we obey, just like He blessed Joseph every single time Joseph's seasons changed, even though Joseph was suffering, guys.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you go read the story of Joseph, Joseph was blessed, Joseph was promoted, Joseph was favored.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I just want to encourage you with that to just be intentional about your seasons and listen to the Lord about knowing what the heck is going on.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: So let me know your thoughts.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know if this is helpful.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's it's just been a testimony of our life, pretty much.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I want it to be a testimony of your life.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: I want you as a Christian business owner to look back and see, wow, look at what the Lord has done here, here, here, and here.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and like I said, greatness is not found in the safety of tradition, but in the unknown path of change.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I'll see y'all next week.