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CATCHING ANSWERED PRAYERS
I don’t know what others do when they’re struggling. I pray. I pray for answers or a change in the circumstances I am struggling with. I pray for gratitude to take me over instead of the struggle that has absorbed me. I pray to catch the answered prayer when it comes to me.
On January 22nd of this year, I woke up early with the strong desire to have a word with God, or whoever was not listening to my prayers for the past several months. I needed help. Samantha and I had worked 6 and 7 days a week for the past year and a half, keeping up with our salon clients. While following the rules of social distancing, sanitizing absolutely everything, taking temperatures, masking and breaking out with rashes around our mouth and nose and experiencing a dull headache from not getting enough oxygen, we were exhausted. We were working hard and with Samantha pregnant, we needed prayers answered.
That morning, I walked into my prayer room in my home and with an out loud voice I demanded my prayers be heard…and answered. . . . that day! I went on to demand what we needed to keep the salon open and something had to change for us. "We need 2 assistants," I insisted. "I need an apprentice to take over the blow-drying and color application and manage the inventory and order products. Oh, and have a strong, caring phone voice and enough energy to keep up with our schedule. She needs to be young to keep up and have completed her cosmetology studies." Big order.
The second assistant would be mature and experienced with a lengthy history in the beauty industry. She would still love the beauty industry, be gentle, loved cleaning and organizing and she would be our "extra pair of hands". She would bring a sense of calm to our busy salon and she would have a beautiful and welcoming smile. Big order.
And since I was on a roll demanding what I wanted, I prayed for both women to have a Hispanic heritage. And I’m not sure why, but I threw in for good measure--and they are both from California relocating to Arizona. When I was finished praying specifically for what we needed in the salon, I finalized my pray by stating, "and if I don’t get those two assistants today, I’m closing my salon on April 1 of this year! And hundreds of clients are going to be pretty upset about our salon closing. "
That morning, after my prayer explosion, I drove to a beauty school in Phoenix and asked an instructor at the school if she had anyone who had graduated and was looking for a position as an apprentice. She said she would keep me in mind and took my business card. I wasn’t encouraged.
That afternoon I attended a client’s retirement party at an outdoor, backyard gathering. It was a very nice celebration with lots of people. As I was preparing to leave, my client mentioned that her husband's former barber hairstylist was in attendance. She wanted us to meet. Just then Beverly walked by and stopped for us to meet and have a conversation. I asked her that although she was retired from doing hair, would she consider a part time assisting position? She answered with these words; "I am looking for a busy hairstylist who needs an 'extra pair of hands' for me to assist". Beverly is Hispanic and has moved back to AZ from CA.
As I arrived home from the party, excited after finding Beverly, my phone rang. It was Ruby from the beauty school who saw me that morning when I visited. She had completed her beauty school studies and wanted to apply for the apprentice position. Ruby is Hispanic and has moved to Arizona from California.
Both assistants came to us on the same day. I don’t believe in coincidences. Life happens through Divine Order and our expectation. I don’t think my answered prayers were because I had an outburst of demands for God. Perhaps that was already the assigned day for my prayers to be answered. I don’t know. This I know for sure: if you pay close attention, you can catch those answered prayers as they come your way.
With love,
Hilda
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