A Change of Direction

As we’ve slowly been putting back some focus on our business, there have been some things I’ve learned that will change our approach. 

Let me first clarify just how thankful we are to God for this business and all of you, our supporters, customers, friends, and family. We wouldn’t even be able to keep pursuing this if it wasn’t for you. But, what’s at the core of our business, or rather, WHO is at the core of our business? God! As with every part of our life, our foundation is Christ and His Word. We’re not perfect, but we live our lives with the sole purpose of glorifying our Creator.

Our First Priority

I think I can safely say that for each of us, God is our number one priority. That means every day we all make sure we spend some time reading and studying God’s Word, praying and praising Him, and worshipping Him. Most of us also read valuable books and insights of others that help us refine our thinking, always making sure to hold it up to Scripture. For anyone, if we can’t make time for our number one priority, then why should we even make time for other things. And that’s why, for us, we are re-evaluating our approach to our business and making some changes. You’ll find us challenging you (as we do ourselves) to spend your time wisely. We don’t want to end up being a distraction and keeping you from your priorities by adding to the already heavy, full, and distracting online world.

In Matthew 18:7 we read, “Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.” (HCSB) In this passage, “offenses” can also be interpreted as “temptations to sin”. The definition of “woe” is “great sorrow or distress”. So to the one who would as much as tempt another to sin, great distress be on that man! I didn’t say it, the Bible does! Therefore we want to be careful with what we do so as not to distract you further.

Romans 14:13 challenges us not to put a stumbling block (offense) in front of a brother, “Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in your brother’s way.” (HCSB). In verse 19 it says, “So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.” It’s simple: don’t tempt a brother to sin. Promote peace. Build each other up.

Because God is our first priority, we have a desire to obey Him and follow His commands, because we know that is a way in which we can love Him (John 14:15). We want to promote the Godly disciplines that God expects of us. That starts in the heart and home. Matthew 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”. And our treasure is the Lord.

Our Second Priority

Apart from God, our first earthly priority is our family. That can be broken down first with our spouse, then our children, and then extended family.

We have a responsibility to God for the family He has placed in our lives.

For example, the Scriptures instruct that a man cannot be an elder of a church if he has neglected the responsibility to his family, wives are instructed to be submissive to their husband and children are to obey their parents in the Lord. (Ephesians 5, 6; Titus)

1 Peter 4:10 – “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers [stewards] of the varied grace of God.”

Being a steward means to “manage or look after (another’s property)”. If someone gives us something to look after, what do we do? We take extra measures to make sure it is returned in the exact same condition they gave it to us…or better, if possible. That’s what God expects of us.

For us, family is so much more than just the people related to us by blood. It is a gift that God has blessed us with.

When we look at our daily lives, not only do we prioritize our relationship with God, we also prioritize our family. That will look different for each family as they’re in different stages of life. But, for my family that means my days consist of tending to my husband, teaching and training our children, making sure they’re well-fed, and giving them each my attention and devotion. I am, by far, not perfect in any of these areas. In fact, I greatly lack in them, but with God’s strength and in the Holy Spirit, I sure do try my best. It takes a lot of effort, and even training on my own part, to raise children in the “path of righteousness”. Only God, obviously, gives the fruit, but He gave us a responsibility, and I will do my part to follow through.

That leads me to my next point…

Our Third Priority

Since the beginning of time, God has placed a certain responsibility on mankind – work. It may have looked different before the Fall of man than it did after, but the bottom line is still work.

Genesis 2:15 – “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”

Genesis 3:17-19 – “And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

Why do I mention all of this? It has been heavy on my heart just how much time we spend scrolling through social media, watching movies, playing video games, etc. It’s a struggle, I get it. I catch myself getting lost in it all from time to time. But to be honest, it’s depressing. Not only am I filling my mind with, often, useless information, but I’m also wasting time worrying about things that don’t build up or encourage, or how I might look to others.

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with all of this, but I just want to challenge us all to really evaluate our time. How are we spending it? How should we be spending it? Instead of spending all those hours on useless information, why not pour time and energy into our family?

You’ll find yourself a lot more joyful and at peace…I have found that to be true for me. There’s only so much our minds can handle, let it be given to those God has placed in our lives for it – our family, our close friends, those we interact with often, and of course the Lord Himself.

As some of you may know, running a business takes a lot of time and effort, especially if you want it to succeed. Given our priorities, there’s not a lot of time left in our day right now to really help grow our business in all the ways we would like. So we need to make choices. Are we going to choose entertainment or hard work and diligence in the areas God has called us to?

The Change

So how are these priorities going to change our business approach?

A lot, if not all, of the online and managing aspects of our business falls on my shoulders. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing it, but I also love creating products. I haven’t had too much available time to focus on that, aside from keeping the rest of the business alive, barely! 

Here’s what we’d love to focus on in the foreseeable future:

• Less time devoted to online and more time to local, in-person interaction. We’ll still try to post a blog every now and then, and share some pictures and updates on social media, but we won’t be pushing it. You know where to find us (www.fggdesigns.com), but start looking for us at the local craft shows. 
  • Of all the places, you’ll more likely see us on Instagram and in your email inbox, so be sure to follow and subscribe!
• Using our time to create more products for you! Relieving some of the pressure of keeping up online, will allow us to be able to create more products for you. We won’t disappear completely, but again, it just won’t be our main focus. I’ve been working on a new art myself, but haven’t had too much time to devote to it and I can’t wait to keep working on it! 🙂 
• Sharing how the Lord is working in our lives, both personally and in the business. As mentioned in the first point, we’ll still try to post some blog posts. They will cover a wide range of topics as we share what we’re going through and learning in our own lives.

Being able to zone in on our products and business in this way allows us to not feel the pressure of making this business succeed, but allow the Lord to work through our abilities. If He sees fit, He will allow growth. We love sharing with you and using our God-given talents to honor Him in what we do and make. Our business name is “For God’s Glory Designs”, so that means in all we do, it must be done for God’s glory alone…not ours! “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, HCSB)

Again, thank you for your support, your prayers, and your understanding.