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My Dad wanted to retire and asked me if
I would like to take over his manufacturing business. I had been
managing it for five years and knew it inside and out, but I declined
the offer, thinking it was time for me to pursue my interests
as a designer. I looked for professional employment for a few
months, but the country was in recession, and no one was hiring.
Rather than be discouraged,
I decided that if no one would hire me, I would start my own company.
I sold my house and went looking for a suitable place to set up
shop. Some friends allowed me and my family to live with them
while I searched. I drove around for many days but could not find
what I needed. To make matters worse, our savings was dwindling,
and we were overextending our friend's hospitality. I felt as
if my options were running out.
One day, I gave up my personal agenda and
went into a room by myself to be still. My prayer was a humble
desire to know where
I should go and what I should do to glorify God. After about five
minutes of this quiet searching desire, an image of a commercial
building appeared in my mind, and I recognized it. I had driven
past it only once before about five years earlier. I then heard
a powerful thought-message that said, "This is yours."
I told no one about this vision or about what I was preparing
to do.
The next day, I drove to the site and found that the building was just as I had remembered it. There was a small cottage on the property that I assumed was occupied by the owner, so I knocked on the door. I was met by a defiant elderly man. When I inquired about the building, he just said, "No," and then he slammed the door in my face. Immediately, the thought came to me that he was just prejudiced about everything.
I went back and sat in my car to pray. After
a while, the man came out of his house, opened the large overhead
door of the building that I was interested in, and sat down to
read a book. Now I knew what I needed to do - answer his invitation.
I walked over to where he was sitting, pulled up a chair, and
sat down beside him. After some initial silence, he opened up
and talked a bit. I sat with him for several hours, and, at the
end of the day, I said goodbye and thanked him for a pleasant
visit.
The next day I returned and sat with him several more hours, and
again the following day. I could feel his fears and prejudices
against me melting away. At the end of the third day, he told
me to come back in a week, and he would have an answer for me.
During this time with him, I had learned of his circumstances.
He was retired, and his seventy-year-old wife was still cleaning
houses to make ends meet. They had considered selling the property
for some time but were afraid of moving to an apartment and losing
control of their surroundings.
When I returned at the appointed time, he said that he was willing to rent the building; but I could see a better plan that would bless everyone and proceeded to address him with absolute confidence. In a gentle matter-of-fact way, I told him that I was going to buy the property and informed him of the price. He would hold the mortgage which would give him a monthly income, and he and his wife would live in the cottage completely free of charge for as long as they wished. When his wife returned from work that day and I told her of the plan, it brought tears to her eyes. Within thirty days, I owned the property, his wife had retired, and I had a location for my new business.
I was in awe of what was accomplished with
ease when I listened to the voice within.
George Denninger ©
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