Have you ever had one of those moments when you are heavily invested in a project and you realize you’re seriously in over your head?

You know, one of the times like you decide to paint a wall, but then realize the new color doesn’t match the carpeting, so you decide to take the plunge and invest in new carpeting, but when you tear it up, you realize the subfloor has a serious structural issue and you aren’t sure what you’re going to do next? 

Actually, that didn’t happen to me, but something similar did as I was working on a quick project for all of you this past week. It totally blew up and my timeline is completely out of whack, and I have to say I’m glad it did. Stick around and we’ll talk about how even this huge challenge that highlights how much I don’t know, became an opportunity for God to prove to me he’s got my back.

It started out when I got this great idea for a series of shows to help you to be intentional about what your new post-COVID19 life will look like.  I decided to create a template for you to dig deep into what your new normal can look like instead of simply going back to your former stress filled, ho-hum, “Is this all there is?” life.  

I got excited when one of my mentors, Amy Porterfield, offered a quick course on how to develop a killer offer, so I decided to take her up on her quick and easy solution to my little project. Note I said quick and easy.  Apparently her definition and mine are completely different. 

My first step into the rabbit hole was a part of her course that came with a free tutorial on how to build a website from scratch.  I’ll be honest, I think that was the lure that got me.  

You see, I haven’t been happy with my website for quite a while.  We don’t need to go into the details of what I’m not happy with, so let’s just leave it at starting over from scratch sounded like exactly the solution to reaching a lot of my goals. 

This is the part where I was talking about how a simple paint job turns into redoing your foundation.  Two days into my new website I realized that I was in way over my head and was truly struggling with the decision as to whether I scrap the new site altogether, put it on the back burner, or hire someone to get me through this rough spot. (Let’s just say, I now appreciate all of those half-finished DYI projects people have around their houses and understand how things can get stuck and never get finished!) 

I was completely stuck and had no idea what to do. So the new me did what she does. I doubled down on my prayer about the situation.  

Don’t get me wrong.  I’d been praying throughout the process. Something I’d not really done when I created my first website.  God and I have been in what I thought was pretty constant communication and I felt like I really was walking the path he wanted me to, so why on earth was this so darned hard?

That morning was beginning to doubt that I had heard him correctly when I thought he had encouraged me to take this project on and was determined to make my decision and either stop the project or keep moving forward.

I had one of my mastermind sessions that morning and was going to dig in immediately following the session with my small group. I casually asked a related but not direct question about my situation in the group and one of the gals mentioned a free intensive course on how to create a website (see link below if you are interested). Not a glossed over ten-minute version I’d gotten before, but a true tutorial created for amateurs like me. I had no idea such a course was an option, but it was exactly what I needed.  I was so grateful that God answered that question so thoroughly and so immediately. 

When was the last time he did that for you? I’ll bet he does it all the time. I know he does for me, but sadly I get so wrapped up in my mess I don’t even notice his handiwork in my life.  And that is one of the things that I plan to do differently in my new normal. I plan to slow down and be more aware of his presence in my life and notice the times he simply hands me what I need when I need it.  Not when I think I need it or when I think he should provide it, but when I really need it. 

That is what trusting in him and having faith is all about, isn’t it? That knowing that he’s got our back and is providing everything we need? Even when we’re in over our head. 

And he did it again this morning.  I had been planning to start my series on creating a new normal today, but as you already know, it isn’t happening just yet. As a result, I didn’t really have a topic prepared to share with you when it came time to record. 

The idea that kept coming up for me was building a strong foundation. Kind of like having to get all the way to the subfloor and realizing that putting new carpet won’t be a good idea if the subfloor is warped. 

So guess what the topic of my Abide mediation was this morning? Yep, it was all about building a strong foundation. 

I feel that God is telling me to slow down and make sure the foundation of my business is solid and built on trust in him. And to build on his principles and goals. Not mine and certainly not those that the world values. 

When I began my business and created my current website, I was focused on all the wrong things. Sure many of the same ideas were there, but they were based on things that I thought would make me a lot of money, not things that really mattered.  I started out with a foundation built on what others told me would work, and not on what God would have guided me to had I simply asked. 

So this time, I’m asking. And I’m taking action. Even when it doesn’t make sense. These days my message is all about trusting God and gaining his peace that is beyond what we can understand. But it is also about going beyond just hearing and repeating what he says, it is about putting his guidance into action. 

So I’m doing just that.  I am literally conferring with Jesus like I would a coworker in my previous life. Asking him what he thinks about this or that idea and whether he thinks I should choose this font or that one. And what is crazy about it is that it isn’t necessarily easier than it has been in the past, I just feel more confident and better equipped to do the work. As a result, I’m less stressed and more relaxed knowing that this project will be complete exactly when it should be and those who need help with creating a life of purpose and meaning will find it when it is right for them. 

So if you are feeling overwhelmed by something today, pray thought it. Ask God to show you what his plan is for your work and wait for his answer. And be prepared to be blown away with his response and how he will guide you in the direction he wants you to go.

I love how Jim Rohn says it, “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.”  I’d like to put a little different perspective on it and pray, “Lord, help me to be better, not that it would be easier!”

Every challenge, problem, and trouble that comes our way is an opportunity to become a better person. Or as James says in chapter 1 verses 2 and 3, it’s an opportunity for joy and a chance to grow. 

Truly friend, that is where we all are now in this time as we transition out of stay-at-home life and our new freer post COVID life. We are experiencing an opportunity to grow. To invite Jesus to show us how we can intentionally create a new life based on his principles and his values and live a life of fulfillment and peace.  

I’ve been rebuilding my foundation now for some time, and though it doesn’t make sense by the world’s standards, the deeper I go into this endeavor, the more convinced I become that it is the only way to go. Even, and maybe even especially, when I’m in over my head. 

So, I hope you’ll join me.  Depending on when you listen to this there may or may not be a document on my website at vonajohnson.com to guide you through the process of creating a new normal. But it is coming sometime in the month of June 2020 and I trust that when it is released it will be a tool to help you refocus your life and to create a life of peace and fulfillment. But regardless of when you listen to this, that topic will be relevant because we can always do life better, can’t we? 

Foundations are the most important part of any structure and to do them right, it takes time. I care too much about you to hurry through this just as I feel your life is too valuable for you to continue to hurry through without thought for the eternal consequences of your actions. 

Thank you for stopping by today. I know your time is valuable and it means a lot to me that you spent this time with me. To prepare for your new life, I ask that you begin to notice the things that bring you peace and joy and the things that give you energy and those that drain your energy. You’ll be able to use that information when you get your guide I’m working on and will be posting soon. Let’s see where all this knowing will take us, shall we? 

I hope you will subscribe to the show on your favorite platform so you don’t miss any of the episodes that are coming. Until then, go, be blessed, stay safe, and live your more!

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Amy Porterfield Online Marketing Courses

Shannon Mattern Build a Website in 5 Days Course

COMING Soon: Creating Your New Normal