Dry Season

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 

10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 

11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

(1 Samuel 16:7, 10-13)

As I was thinking about this month’s blog post, I was seeking the Lord as to what to write. I am not someone that writes just to write or speaks just to speak. Anything that I do with SingleChronicles7 has to be done with the leading of the Holy Spirit. As I was in reverence before the Lord between yesterday and today, I heard God say to talk about the dry season that I am in regarding my business, SuppliedByAli. It is not something that I readily want to talk about if I am honest because of the place that I am currently in with it but I know that God putting it in my spirit is not for me but for somebody else who may be in a dry season.

God gave me the vision to start my own stationery line business, SuppliedByAli, in March 2021 and my first set of stationery items (a mini book, journal, and planner) were released in June 2021. I had 3 sets of each. I was beyond excited because I had worked so hard on it with the help of my business consultant, my mother. I would stay up late hours while I was still working a full time job just to allow that vision to become my reality. Two years in and my business has taken off but not without hardwork, dedication, discipline, and most importantly, consistency. To be able to get orders from so many states across the United States on Etsy and Amazon, and to do local vending opportunities have been nothing but a blessing. I have invested a lot of my own money, used my own resources, and stored things in every family member’s home for extra space to support the growth of SuppliedByAli. Everything was good until January of this year came around.

I began to notice that orders have slowed down to the point where I was getting no orders for the past 4-5 months. Sales declined drastically as well as views to my shop. Less profitable vendor opportunities came across my desk. And on top of that, I had to scale back financially so that I did not put myself in debt running a business. I was putting in more money than I was getting back which created a financial strain. The amount of times that I wanted to give up because of what I was seeing was too great to count on my fingers. However, even with feelings of doubt, heaviness, and discouragement, something in me couldn’t stop. It was like I couldn’t walk away from my business even though I wanted to. Everything in my natural circumstances was telling me to but for some reason, I just could not walk away from it. I continued to create and add to my stationery line even though no sales were coming in and as of to date, I am still creating with no sales.

Even in the dryness, God asked me, “Can you still be faithful? Can you still show up even when no one is watching and no one is noticing? Can you still work at what I have called you to do even when it seems like it is in vain [even though it is not]?”

I shared the story of David in the beginning of this blog post because God wanted to reveal something to you and to I. David remained faithful in what He was called to do-tend to the sheep- even though it seemed as if he was overlooked. David was not doing anything to try to get noticed. He remained in the back, being faithful, minding his business, doing what he always did unto the Lord. The story does not mention how David felt but if we put ourselves in his shoes, we could only imagine that it wasn’t easy to see his brothers get the shine in the front while he was grinding in the back.

This story is to remind you that God sees you. He sees how hard you are working at what He has called you to do even though it is frustrating and you are not seeing the fruits of your labor. He sees your faithfulness and He will honor it. The kind of God that you and I serve is an “all of a sudden” kind of God. At the right time, He will bring the increase. The miracle. The breakthrough. The healing. And the deliverance. And that is what He did for David. David oozed with anointing and because of the power within him, God couldn’t release him just yet. Sometimes, that dry season – being in the field, working on what you are called to do when no one is watching – is a sacred moment for you to stay close to God. This is a moment for him to refine and purify you. For you to remember your “why” and to just trust the process. Because of the anointing within you, my friend, the hand of God will always be upon you. You do not have to do anything else but to remain faithful in what He has called you to do. That is all God desires of you. As you continue to remain faithful in this dry season of your life, and as you continue working at what He has called you to do, in due season, God will release you to receive all that He has coming your way. I receive this word for myself as well in Jesus Name!

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