My Letter From Joanna Gaines...
I am incredibly excited to share this story with all of you. If you have kept up with my most recent blog posts you may have noticed that the Lord has been working in my heart in some huge ways lately. One of which being, letting go of the control I THINK I have on my life and completely trusting in Him 100% of the time.
If you know me well you may know that I am incredibly in love with the show Fixer Upper on HGTV. This show features a husband and a wife (Chip and Joanna Gaines) who basically take old, run down homes and turn them into their clients dream home. And if you know me REALLY well...you know that I aspire for Guy and I to one day unite our creative spirits and be just like “Chip and Jo!”
So the story goes a little something like this...
While I was in Nashville visiting my sisters back in February, I had a friend tell me that she thought I needed to turn my blog into my own website...a place where I could not only have my blog but sell the things I’ve made for Just-US Creations as well. I told her I would LOVE to do that but knew that creating a website would take a small investment. An investment I knew wasn’t exactly in our budget at the moment. So I disappointingly declined, and believed in my heart that there would be a time when I would be able to do so.
A couple days after I returned back home from Nashville, I received a text from that same friend encouraging me to ask four different people for donations to help me start my website. She said, “Just as the Father to give you four different people that you should ask for donations from.” I was little hesitant at first at the thought of asking people for money to help ME start up my own website but I prayed about it and continued to seek counsel from the Lord. In the mean time, she texted me again asking if I would send her a couple different links to different blogs I like to read, seeing as though she was going to help me build my website, she wanted to get a good feel for what my website would look like if I did get the chance to create one.
So I began pondering the different blogs I like to read and this was the thought process going on in my head...
“You know what? I don’t read that many blogs. Oooooo I really like Joanna Gaines blog...I’ll read hers any day!”
And with little to NO warning the Lord interjected...
“So why don’t you ask her to help you start up your website Tessa?”
“WAIT! What Lord??? You want ME to ask Joanna Gaines for $100 to help me start up my website?? Is this even YOU Lord? Or is this my crazy subconscious breaking through?”
“Do you really not trust me Tessa?” Said the Lord.
“Well Father...I mean...She is JOANNA GAINES! I mean she’s kinda famous and runs a pretty hectic life. How would I even get her a letter??”
“Tessa...do you really think that what you deem to be impossible to be impossible for ME? I hold the world in my hands, yet you think I can’t deliver a letter into the hands of another?” my Father questioned.
Stunned and incredibly overwhelmed, I spent the majority of that day praying...I prayed for confirmation that I was supposed to write this letter, I prayed for words to write, and I prayed that my letter could somehow find its way into the hands of the Gaines Family.
The next day...with complete peace in my heart I wrote my letter to Chip and Joanna Gaines. It was the strangest and the most freeing thing I had ever done. And the funny part... even though I knew I was supposed to write this letter, the enemy continued to attack my spirit and tell me this was the most foolish thing I had ever done. But I held the truth in my heart and continued to write.
I posted this picture of my letter on Instagram and Facebook that day, telling you all that I was dreaming about my future...and I was.
In my letter...I told them about my dreams and about all that the Lord had begun to do in my heart. I told them about how inspired I am by not only the ministry that they are creating for that industry but by their marriage and the life that they choose to live. I told them about my family and the things that we have gone through in order to get to the place that we are today. And I told them about my blog and about how it is my desire to one day speak to women all across the world. Then with all the humility that I could muster up, I asked if they would help me start up my own website. When I finished I printed off a couple of pictures of my family and with the help of my handy-dandy realtor of a husband, found their HOME address!! (Don’t ask me how, he just did and yes that may be a little creepy but don’t judge me...or him ok?! He’s an amazing realtor btw) I prayed over the letter, asking the Lord to guide and direct it to the correct correspondent and I asked that my heart would clearly show up in the words I had written.
And I sent it.
I remember thinking during that time that no matter what happened I had been obedient to the Father and for that I would be greatly blessed. So I kept this amazing peace within me...never doubting that the letter would show up on the front of their door. It’s truly an amazing feeling when you can finally be in the place of complete faith in the Father. I mean...I always “believed in God” and I always had “faith” in the Lord, but I don’t think I ever adequately grasped how far and deep, belief and faith could go. It was as if I got a glimpse of the truth behind the verse “faith can move mountains.” It’s more than just speaking it with your mouth...it’s deeply and honestly believing that what the Father asks you to do WILL be done.
And so I waited...and waited.
Two weeks to the day that I sent the letter I began getting ready for the day. During that time I said to the Lord...
“Lord...it’s been two weeks. I haven’t groveled or complained or even doubted but Father, am I in over my head here?”
“Tessa, do you really have NO faith in me? It’s only been TWO weeks!” He replied.
“You’re right Father...it’s ONLY been two weeks.”
And so I carried out the rest of my day with the belief and faith that I had held with me all this time. I knew the Father would provide.
That evening my husband returned home, and as usual he brought with him that day’s stack of mail. “Hey Tessa, you have a letter here.” Guy said.
“Is it some ad or junk mail?” I said unenthusiastically.
“Uhh...no. I think it’s a legit letter.” He said.
Hmm that’s strange I thought. So I nonchalantly went to check out what he was talking about. When I picked up the letter I could barely read the handwriting but what I did make out was the return address...WACO, TX!!! (If you’re a fan of Fixer Upper you know that is where they are based out of).
I screamed and dropped to my knees...I hadn’t even opened the letter yet! When I finally calmed down a bit (and calmed Rozalyn down...in the midst of my “freak out” I had FREAKED her out), I cautiously opened the letter. On the front read... “A Note From Joanna Gaines.”
As I opened the card I couldn’t help but flinch when a $100 bill dropped to the ground. I was incredibly overwhelmed when I read her handwritten note to me...
I remained in a state of shock for a good 24 hours. I felt like I was on cloud 9 and it was as though I had seen so clearly the heart of the Father and how He longs to lavish us with our hearts desires.
I can honestly say that I am a blessed woman and I am blessed because I have been given an amazing opportunity. But what’s even more amazing than the fact that I can now have my own website, is that I can have my website BECAUSE of what Joanna Gaines blessed me with. Not only has the Lord blessed ME but He is going to abundantly bless Joanna and her family for being obedient to where the Lord asked them to give! That’s how good our Father is. He loves to bless those that are willing to humble themselves and He’s willing to bless those that are obedient. But even MORE than that...He LOVES to bless ALL of His children.
The way He blesses you doesn’t have to be some extravagant, fairy-tell like story, it can be just as normal as...somebody paid for my meal today. Big or small, the Father loves to love and we were made to be loved. So I encourage each one you that had the patience to read this today to ask the Lord right now, how He can pull you out of your comfort zone today so that He can move in some mighty ways in your life. I would love to hear the aftermath of how God showed up in your life so make sure to comment below or contact me at tessakirby13@gmail.com.
As for my website it will be up and running VERY soon! Stay tuned!
xoxoxo
