Hallelujah Anyway - The beginning of a good day
Updated: Aug 30, 2021
We all have a purpose in this life.
To know what it is, well that’s the difficult part.
For years I had been praying, asking God what the purpose in life was (mine really). I had just graduated from culinary school a few years earlier and was beginning to pursue a career in art while also working in kitchens as a pastry chef.
It was a stunning summer morning, 5 am to be exact, and I was scheduled to work at a lovely vegan bakery, but the doors were still locked. While I waited for someone to open, I scrolled through Instagram, and came across an enlightening phrase:
“HALLELUJAH ANYWAY!”
It was in a post by Baylee Rayl (who is an insane CrossFit athlete and who’s love for Jesus is inspirational) where she wrote, “Even in our storms and suffering, we have so much to raise a hallelujah for!” and added “HALLELUJAH ANYWAY!”
I fell in love with the feeling behind that phrase and I felt empowered by it. Since then, it has been engraved in my brain. For the rest of my day at the bakery, if something didn’t go well, I just thought,
Hallelujah Anyway.
The next day, as I was reading a devotional, something the author wrote stood out. We often get, “God ideas” and I couldn’t help but think about Hallelujah Anyway. I kept asking myself could this be a God idea? Is this something I should pursue? And that’s when I came across Romans 8:28:
“And know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
At first, it wasn’t much more than a nice verse, until two days later, a podcast called Whoa Thats A Good Podcast by Sadie Robertson, Lauren Daigle mentioned the same verse. I thought it was such a weird coincidence to hear the same verse twice in one week, BUT THEN the next day, as I went to see the verse of the day on my bible app, it was… you guessed it, Romans 8:28!
I was skeptical, but I kept asking God if this was something I was meant to do and if it was, to show me the verse one more time.
A few weeks passed, and my sister and I were sitting on the couch writing a slogan for my brand. On a quick break, I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a post. A person I follow, shared her fitness journey and then a verse; Romans 8:28! To see the verse as we worked on the brand gave me peace and made me certain that this was the path I should take.
Even so, I still get nervous about my choices (starting a business is a tad bit expensive…), but we’re only given so much time in this life to follow our dreams. But our dreams without God’s purpose, doesn’t lead to a fulfilling life. It might be enjoyable, but there will always be something missing. To be able to share his word using our unique gifts is the dream.
Pray about it, trust Jesus, and know that He works for the good of those who love him.
My hope is that whoever wears this brand feels the joy and love of God in their daily lives. That no matter the day, it’s gonna be a good day, and if it’s not the best, well HALLELUJAH ANYWAY!