What If…..?

10-32am

It’s easy to ask ‘What if’ for the all the stuff that may have happened in your life…what if my parents had chosen to come to Cape Town in 1960 and not Rhodesia; what if they had been happily married, would I have been different? What if we had bought a different house? What if I had studied journalism instead of nursing?

There are loads of moments in time when decisions are made that lead the course of our lives along a certain road. As you look back to that juncture, you may ask yourself, ‘what if?’ As often as there may be things that you would have changed if you had the benefit of hindsight, there are things that you have done right. The What Ifs take on a whole different glow. These are the risks that you have taken that have resulted in huge amounts of happiness.

I think of my marriage to Mike. What if I had listened to the critics who highlighted in bright neon colours the 13 year and 8 month age difference and suggested our relationship was doomed as a result? If I had listened and Mike and I had broken up, I would have lost out on the happiest marriage possible. What if Mike had listened to critics and not gone to Bible Institute for 3 years and then ran the YMCA for 7 years? We may never have met. What if I had never taken a risk and left a convenient half day job in nursing, I may never had worked at CCFm? I would have missed out on so, so much.

There are many choices I have made, and risks that I have taken. Many of them, I have been compelled to do. I have been driven forward by what I believe to be God, Himself. I have walked His straight path for me, because I have trusted Him. I have repeated so many times, Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

And then I have stepped out of the boat and headed into uncertainty, unsure of what lies ahead. No illustration of this is more meaningful to me than when I started selling advertising for CCFm, in 1997. I had very little sales experience. I had no radio experience. I had no advertising experience. How amazing then that at the start of 1997, I became CCFm’s only sales rep! The station depended on me alone, to sell advertising. For three months leading up to me accepting my new job, I prayed & I prayed. I told the Lord how bad I was at selling. I reminded the Lord that I had serious rejection issues and that I could not face rejection. I pleaded with the Lord for guidance because, for the sake of the radio station, I could not fail.  The Lord took me into this crazy job for which I was wholly unqualified. And the Lord opened doors. Those were the days when one thirty second radio advert cost R30. (Now they are more than ten times that). I started knocking on doors and building relationships and companies started advertising. By God’s grace, I was successful. By God’s grace alone! Four years later in 2001, I passed the milestone of having sold R1million worth of advertising sales for CCFm. I could not tell people without getting teary-eyed. Even now, I get emotional. I had taken a risk for God. If I had been too scared to do it, I would have missed out on so many blessings!

And now I again feel compelled to walk away from the very place that has caused me so much joy and fulfillment. It makes no sense. Yet, I know that I am doing the right thing. I am trusting in the Lord with all my heart and leaning not on my own understanding. I am acknowledging  God in all my ways and I know that He will make my paths straight. I’m standing up in the boat and one foot right now, is on the edge!

The Lord knows what is ahead  & He is there already. That’s all I need!

God bless you!

In His Grip,

Helga xx 🙂

Gratitude Pic…Be patient in waiting…