Unexpected Plans

This is one of the many BookMarkers I created.

Recently, I had created this new type of art and I had started making bookmarks with that style (I called them "BookMarkers" because I used markers instead of watercolors).

I thought it was unique and interesting, so I showed my family and my mom told me that she wanted me to make a group of them for when she went to minister to a group of women. I was like, "Okay." I mean, it was cool that she asked me to make them, but I felt like I'm just some young woman making bookmarks, what impact can I really make with these?

Anyway, she advised that I make 20 of them and I ended up making 21—God always provides and even gave me more than what I needed. The hardest part wasn't decorating them, it was finding verses. All that week, when the bookmarks were basically all done being decorated, I had struggled to find verses. I knew that you could look up types of verses online, but I'm not really sure why I didn't. I think I wanted to find them, myself, in my Bible. I ended up searching "Inspirational Bible verses" and I'm so happy I did. Even when I was searching for verses I thought I only needed 20, and God managed to provide me with 23 verses! I really wanted to find special ones that would stick out to me, shown to me by God, and I found plenty.

I hand wrote the verses on each bookmark and wrote "God loves you!" on the back of each one and drew a little heart. I would have liked to have had the message be a personal one on each bookmark, but the verses said enough, and those three words, I think, were the best words I could've said to those ladies.

I placed them in an envelope with a heart on the front (in case you can't tell, the heart is my favorite shape) and left them on the table for my mom to bring with her.

I thought about the whole process of making them, and the whole time I had the women in mind. I had intended to pray over each and every bookmark, but, for some reason, I didn't intentionally pray, I think I was just with God the whole time and hoping that at least a few of the bookmarks would touch people. Even if the verse on the bookmark helped someone through their struggles and stay closer to Jesus, all of that hard work would have been more than worth it.

My mother came home and I was a little nervous about what her reaction would be. The story she told me was far better than I ever would have expected.

I think she first asked me if I had prayed over each bookmark and I said, "Yeah. Kind of. Partially." I was just with God, himself, the whole time, holding onto my faith, obeying what God wanted me to do.

She explained that she wasn't sure how she'd distribute the bookmarks—should she hand them out? should she let the ladies pick? She let the women pass around the envelope and they all just picked one. I don't think they looked trough them, they just pulled one out. My mom said that every single person was like, "Wow." It related to them perfectly. A few of them cried when they pulled theirs out.

I was surprised to hear this. While making them, I had hoped that the one I was holding was perfect for whoever got it. I never expected each and every person to get the perfect one! God is so good.

To be honest, I'm a writer, not an artist. I was so shocked—more like pleasantly surprised—by how well it turned out. If I could find more opportunities to give them away, I would.

She looked at me and basically said that if God can work like that through me and those bookmarks, imagine what He could do through me and my very own books.

I feel like this is just the first stepping stone to something much grander. If I did ever make any money off of them, I'd be sure to use it for the plans He has.Who knows? I could end up with a big line of book accessories and my own books someday!

I seriously cannot wait to see what He has in store for me. I just know He's going to blow me away...

And it all starts with one step..

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say this to mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20 NIV).

~The Inspired One