Guest Post by Denise Prosser:

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!
 Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
 I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
Isaiah 43:19

“I’m sorry,” my boss began, “but I’m no longer in charge of the company, and my sons don’t share my desire to start a music therapy program at this time. So, we will pay you for two weeks to give you a chance to find something else, but then your position will end.”

His words hung heavy in the air. Just nine days into this new position, my entire world was flipping upside down! I had left a boyfriend in another state, signed a six-month apartment lease, and turned down a full-time job elsewhere to accept this position. Now, in one unexpected, life-altering moment, it was gone, and I was in a predicament!

The next days are a blur, but one thing quickly became clear. I had two choices: sink, or swim. Twenty-two years old and freshly out of college, I knew nothing of starting a business, yet here I was. The patients I had secured in those nine days were content to pay me instead of the company who hired me, and so began a 20-year music therapy private practice!

In those first days of uncertainty, I had to give myself permission to leap into the unknown. Although I didn’t realize it then, I had to be bold and brave enough to give myself permission walk through the door that God, Himself, had opened before me. Because I said yes to the opportunity, that endeavor flourished. Because I took the short-lived, ill-fated position, I left one relationship behind, making room for me to meet my husband in this new town. We were soon married and now have four children!

Fast-forward to 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic. I’d been working as a music therapist for a local hospice company for four years when our boss called an emergency meeting.

“I’m sorry,” my boss began, “but we have no idea how long this will last. The facilities will only allow our nurses—no extra therapies or services—to enter. So, you can go home until we have the okay to return.”

Like everyone else, I went home for what I assumed would be a week or two. I helped my children with online learning and did the best I could to follow the progress of the patients I could no longer serve. When weeks turned into months, I resigned myself to reality and resigned my position.

Several months before, I’d felt the Lord nudging me to author a book, a devotional for moms and their kids. Friends had often nudged me to write, but I hadn’t followed through. I finally followed the Holy Spirit’s nudge and started the devotional.

Now, homebound with the rest of the country, I had more time to write. I finished the writing process three months ahead of my self-imposed deadline and wondered what was next.

I joined an online subscription site for writers and began watching webinars and reading tutorials. I quickly realized that the rigors of motherhood weren’t compatible with long stretches of writing and purposed to steal away for a weekend of writing. I made a thorough list of writing tasks, made a reservation for a lakeside inn, gathered all my writing gear, and escaped to the woods.

The focus of that weekend was writing! I wrote blog posts, edited devotionals for the book, watched tutorials and videos, planned my blog calendar, took nature photos, and focused on all things writing. While hidden away at that retreat center, I made a life-changing decision. For the first time ever, I called myself a writer! I gave myself permission to say to myself and to others, “God has given me words to write, and I accept the assignment. I AM A WRITER!”

I chose to align myself with what God knew all along: He created good works for each of us to do, and part of my work is to write the lessons He teaches me and share them with others.

 If I’m honest, I’ve still argued with God about this. What do I have to offer that nobody has said before? I have no writer’s credentials. I don’t understand publishing or analytics or web design or a dozen other things in the ever-changing world of writing, and I often feel ill-equipped.

However, I know that I’m more than equipped. I’m CALLED to take His words to whomever He brings across my path. The Lord recently—like today—gave me a huge revelation! I had to give God permission to direct my path, AND I had to give myself permission to follow His lead.

I had to give myself permission to pivot. I moved from employee to entrepreneur, and later, from therapist to writer. I gave myself permission to start something new, be a beginner, and pursue a new purpose. I gave myself permission to take big, scary steps into uncharted territory. I had to give myself permission to fail, to flounder, or to flourish.

What about you? Is God calling you to something new? Do you need to pivot or pursue fresh purpose? Maybe God is calling you to a new job, a new career, relationship, home, city, hobby, ministry, or passion. Listen to His still, small voice, and follow where it leads.

Give yourself permission to call yourself what God already calls you. Give yourself permission to see what God already sees in you. Give yourself permission to do what He created you to do and be who He created you to be, even if it’s different from what He called you to, yesterday.

It all starts with permission. It all starts with a step. Give God permission to lead. Give yourself permission to follow. Then, be on the lookout for the amazing things you can accomplish through the power of God within you.

Meet the Author: Denise Prosser