Burn the Ships!

One year ago I was laying on the floor of the Oak Street physically exhausted, not understanding why He wanted us to close the store. Burn the ships. Fast forward 1 year later, I am laying on the webstore floor emotionally exhausted. I have cried so much in the last week; cried for our artisans, cried for our country, cried for how all of our lives will never be same again.

Burn the ships. Step into a new day, a new way. Burn the ships is a drastic way to move ahead, but necessary. So many lessons to be learned.

Lesson 1: Social distancing has taught us we were designed to live in community. Many of us have forgotten that. We have been living as an island unto ourselves. Burn the ships! My heart has cheered as I have seen our community rally around each other. 

Lesson 2: Many of us base our decisions on our own understanding. I never fully understood why God wanted us to close the Oak Street location. In my own understanding, we would have kept it open. Many people criticized our decision. To lead The Marketplace, we had to make hard decisions; God’s way or mine? One year later, that decision allowed us to be able to help our artisans now. We have not cancelled orders. We are looking out and not in. Burn the ships! 

I could go on with these lessons. One thing I have learned about burning the ships is this, God knows what is coming; He knows the beginning, the middle, and the end. My only job is to listen even when I don’t understand, especially when I don’t understand. This is a Burn the Ships moment. It’s time to step into a new day, a new way. It’s ok to lay down and cry about your loss. But then you need to roll over and get on your knees and pray. Ask God what it is you need to do right now. Then do it! People, it’s time to Burn the ships!