I've
been taking time to reflect on all that God has done in Velvet Hearts
since we began 3 years ago. Social media often only shows the shiny happy
parts of who we are and all the wonderful parts of what we do. We post the
wins, the happy things, the donor dollar attractors.
But
the truth is, God has brought us through a lot the past three years.
There have been moments of complete hopelessness, heart ache, and frustration.
There have been deaths, and people go missing. There have been pimps,
club owners, abusers and systems that seem to never untangle, systems that seem
to never work in favor of a victim. So much that leaves me wanting to scream in
frustration. There have been days no one showed up to a coffee meet up. Where
almost every volunteer bailed on me. Where the funding wasn’t looking good.
Where it seemed like I would never figure out how to do this thing I’m called
to. Where I definitely said the wrong thing or did something stupid. I’ve
forgotten important things. There have been nights I’ve cried and
wondered what in the world I’m even doing with my life.
I
share all this not be “woe is me” but to say, through it all, God has shown up.
In the hardest darkest moments. In bad news and the good. I can’t believe all
God has done, but also, I can’t believe how he’s never once left my side. And
to also say, dreams and fruit don’t happen overnight. Countless seeds of
encouragement and prayers have been planted all over Fort Worth. Dreams take
Time- Courage-Steadfastness-
Stamina-
Grit -Determination
These
first three years of Velvet Hearts have felt incredibly hard. And I probably
quit at least once a month inside my brain for the first two years. But I’m
really glad I didn’t. It had been the best experience of my life.
So,
if you’re out there grinding on your dream, or overcoming obstacles, keep
going! You can do it and you’re not alone!! It’s okay if it feels like disaster
right now. It won’t feel that way forever.
It
is truly a time to grow. We are not the new kids on the block anymore. We have
worked out and trouble shot a million things. We have found our rhythm and settled
into normal. We have cut ties to the big-name ministry we once thought we
needed and are doing a new thing. I’ve been blessed by so many others with
wisdom to ask questions and seek help from. I have those I can call for and ear
when needed. We will be creating our own training specific to us and we are excited about the future.
