Transition

Recently, I made a big transition. I resigned from a local Christian ministry, for which I’d been working nearly four years. I both wanted to resign and didn’t want to resign… Have you ever been in that kind of situation? Here’s what happened.

While it’s true that I was enjoying many aspects of the work, and was comfortable in that setting, I knew deep down that the Lord wanted me to make a shift… to narrow my focus in ministry. You see, I’m a writer. I’ve been writing for over two decades. Sure, it started with journaling and school reports. But I couldn’t stop… For many years I kept up with four different pen-pals, including one of my grandmothers. I made a “newspaper” about my family with “current events” when I was in Awana … I’ll need to find that for a picture sometime…

My love for writing continued to grow over the years. I’ve written in many journals, taken copious amounts of sermon notes and have written out my prayers for over 10 years. Writing is a necessary part of my day – even if I’m just recording what happened on a given day, not writing feels like skipping bathroom use – if I don’t regularly write, things get “stopped up.” 

So – when I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me in 2019 to publish a children’s book I wrote, I was elated! I’ve always wanted to be an author and make a living from my words. I just didn’t know how… But, eagerly, I put the task on my Powersheets goals list for 2020 – “Get Published” I wrote. 

And then in 2021 I wrote the same, “Get Published.” Then again in 2022, “Get Published” appeared on my yearly Powersheets goal page. 

Well, needless to say, I have not had that story published yet. However, In September of this, I began research to figure out how the publishing process works. I learned how to get started and now I’m in the process of researching agents. Woohoo!!! 🙂 (I’m low-key super proud of myself for this step!)

Anyway – back to the transition – Back in April, my husband and I attended a powerful conference where we were challenged to take bold steps for the Kingdom of God. And I knew in my spirit that a shift was coming. When I got home, I told my boss about what I had experienced and that I would need to resign sometime soon from the ministry. He was supportive and asked about a timeline. I said that I still needed to pray into what the Lord wanted me to do.

And I did pray – but not very intently… You see, a big part of me didn’t want to step out – I was afraid. I knew that this transition was from the Lord, and that what was next would be wonderful! But it was also uncertain, and required a lot of faith and daily reliance on Jesus. Which is excellent, obviously, but also very difficult for someone who likes to see things planned out before beginning. 

In mid-July I began seeing posts on social media from a dear friend. This friend has her own business and had started to offer business coaching for other mamas who wanted to start or grow their businesses and accomplish their goals. I made excuses about why this program wasn’t for me every time I saw her posts, yet something was resonating deep inside.

Finally, on August 10th, I reached out to Talisa and told her I’d like to meet to hear more about her program. We met a week later and wow, that meeting went wonderfully! The presence of the Holy Spirit was tangible in the meeting and by the end of it, I felt like I was supposed to work with her, and she felt the same. So I hired my first ever business coach. Fancy!

Part of the program was an online platform with courses which she created, so I started working on them that very night! I was so excited! Talisa Caldwell (check her out here and let her know I sent you ;)), is an excellent coach. She has put together a great program to help women grow in their business, either getting started or increasing sales. Since I am a writer and don’t have a physical product just yet, we have worked on branding, researching the publishing process, setting up a website, and other infrastructure things in the backend. 

So this all leads me to mid-October, when I finally came face to face with Jesus about the timeline for my departure from the ministry I was at. At women’s bible study with my church group on Oct 10th, I asked for prayer because I’d been feeling like the Lord was removing my ‘comforts’ in many areas and calling me to find my comfort in Him alone. Well, I had become very comfortable in this job and was aware that Jesus was calling me out of it. But, I was fearful to step out with so many unknowns.

When the leader of the group prayed for me she said, “Sarah I see a picture of you, and you’re standing right in front of a bright doorway. But you won’t walk through the door. Jesus is behind you, and he’s pushing on your back. But you’re resisting him and stiffening your back. He’s pushing so hard that his butt and legs are sticking out behind him and he’s leaning over pushing on your back saying, “Sarah, go through the door.” And you’re saying, “No Jesus, I’m afraid.” 

When she shared this I started to laugh, not a “that’s funny!” kind of laugh, but a – “wow, that’s exactly how I feel, how did you know?” kind of laugh. It was clear the Holy Spirit was speaking through her to me about resigning and stepping into the next ministry He has for me. 

I had recently told my boss that I would need to wrap up my time with them by the end of the year – but that night, I knew in my heart that was my timeline and not the Lord’s. But I didn’t quite change my mind that night… Are you catching on that I’m kind of stubborn?

Throughout the rest of the week, a few other conversations occurred that brought along more conviction, so much so that on Saturday night I got alone with the Lord and asked him point blank what His timeline was for me to resign. 

“Soon.”  

Was the first response I ‘heard.’ I asked “At the end of the month?” “Sooner.” he said. “The end of the pay period?” I asked tentatively, – and a ‘yes’ resonated in my heart. I looked at my calendar and saw that the end of the pay period would be Friday the 21st. One week. 

I was resistant at first, but knew that I knew that I knew, that this was of the Lord and this was what He wanted me to do. So after a brief wrestle with fear, I submitted to the Holy Spirit and said, “Yes.” 

I journaled it out with Jesus and documented all of the feelings and the willful submission to His guidance, and man – let me tell ya – I slept SO peacefully that night. 

In my dreams, though there was chaos going on around me, I was at peace. And running in the background of every dream was this phrase…

“Sarah Bernard – minister – yielded to God so she bends and doesn’t break in His hands.” 

When I woke up – I knew: this was the theme for my life. Being yielded, surrendered, and submitted to God. Always allowing Him to mold and shape me as He wills. (Isaiah 45:9 & Romans 9:20-21)

Stepping out in faith with Jesus; knowing I am following Him alone and always. This is my life’s mission – to always be yielded to God, to minister to Him, and to people as He directs me. 

So what am I *actually* doing now? Well, my mission in life hasn’t changed! The Lord called me into ministry in junior high, and that’s still my calling – it just looks a bit differently in this season. 

I am writing – “what are you writing?” you say – I’m so glad you asked! I’m writing devotionals, blog posts, children’s books, poems, and short stories. My goal is to make the truths of God’s Word readily available to you! To break it down so you understand and to show you how to go after the truths for yourself. Above all, I want to teach you how to abide in Jesus and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. To that end, I’ll also be developing different resources to help you meditate on the truths of Scripture and plant them deep in your heart. My first resource is focused on identity in Christ – and you can access that below!

In the meantime, I hope you’ll follow along by subscribing to my email list – sign up here – everyone on my email list gets the best stuff first – before I share it anywhere else. It will also have extra resources, like books I’ve found helpful and what the Lord is currently teaching me, if He says it’s okay to share. 🙂

Another really important way for you to join me in this season is in prayer – I’ll be sending out prayer requests in another email – so if you’ll pray for me too – let me know when you sign up. 

Finally, since I don’t have anything yet for sale, and the publishing process can take some time, I am raising support for this ministry role. You can make a donation here. Every donation is a seed sown into this ministry endeavor. Thank you for partnering with me and empowering me to obey God’s calling on my life! 

Please let me know if you have any questions! You can reach me at sarah@sarahlouisebernard.com or by filling out the form on the contact page! 

Blessings,

Sarah