“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
As a former single mommy who raised 3 sons, grew multiple multi-million dollar companies and felt so inadequate for the task of raising up children, despite my success in business, THIS VERSE comforted me.
THIS verse I prophesied and declared over all three of my sons. I would declare and decree, “GOD KNEW YOU long before I even carried you. GOD KNEW YOU long before I would ever meet you. GOD KNOWS YOU better than I could ever fathom knowing you. GOD KNOWS YOU in more ways than I will ever get the honor of knowing you. I am your mother, a partner with God in your destiny. It’s MY job to find out who GOD sees, who GOD created, what GOD designed, what GOD planned.”
This freed me from pressure, helped me to let go of perfection. It reminded me that I made the right choice to not only ‘stay in the game’ even when I felt inadequate, unskilled and ultimately had a horrific marriage, but EMPOWERED me that the work I do daily in loving my sons is a divine work, a holy work and a work GREATER than any company I’ll ever build, or client I’ll ever influence. BEFORE.
BEFORE I knew, as a single Mommy I was carrying Jeremiah. BEFORE as a married woman I carried Justin and Bobby. BEFORE I knew the second half of my life I’d be single again. BEFORE EVERYTHING we went through, we’d go through, we’d endure…. BEFORE that…….God knew.
That word knew is INTIMATE. It’s the highest level of intimacy. It’s a word that should sober us. It’s a word that should charge us. It’s a word that should govern our thinking, our hearts and our motives in life. GOD KNEW. Then, He asked me to DO. Free will comes in.
USE your free will wisely in all that you do with your family, your business, your influence, your choices and your life. YOU were given a free will. Forgiveness is real, yes. GOD does forgive our mistakes, and throws them into the sea of forgetfulness. But we are responsible and accountable for what WE DO with “BEFORE… God knew.” #SELAH
