It is supposed to be a day of rest, where we celebrate God's love for us, the restoration of our ability to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven made possible through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and His triumph over death through His resurrection to life.
In light of all that, I wasn't sure that I should be working on it today. After all, His intention is that we spend today living as if we were already living with Him in Heaven. So, I sat down to ask Him how it was He wanted me to spend His day.
A Father's Chastisement and a New Responsibility
I'd been on social media earlier that morning and I posted something that was confrontational and antagonistic to those who believed something I didn't. While I usually try to be considerate of other people's thoughts and feelings, there are times I let my mouth get ahead of me.
God rebuked me for picking today - which is supposed to be a celebration of the triumph of love over human faults, failings, and divisions - to start a fight. He informed me that, from now on, I was to speak only after consulting Him.
As the founder and leader of Project FED, everything I say and do will be held against the project. People will judge its worthiness by my actions and by my speech. That isn't fair, but it is the reality of the situation. He gave me a four-point approach to use before responding or speaking to ensure that I was moving in alignment with Him.
Say It with S.A.S.S.
S: Stop before you speak.
Quite often, what I think to say is driven by emotion and ego, not by love for my fellow human being or true concern about their welfare. By stopping myself from speaking, even for just a few moments, I can make sure that what I do say is in alignment with the Lord of Life and Love. Plus, it greatly reduces the risk I'll say something stupid or something I regret later down the line.
"Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent." - Proverbs 17:28
A: Ask the Lord what He wants you to say.
He reminded me that I am no longer a free agent, acting on my own devices, but am HIS agent and representing Him and that, as much as people will judge Project FED by what I say and do - they will judge Him, too. I need to be sure that the words I am using are coming from Him and are accurately representing Him.
"Ask and you shall receive" - Matthew 7:7
S: Seek the Scriptures to verify what you've received is from Him.
I am human and fallible. It is entirely possible that what I think is from the Lord is not. Scripture is the key to verifying the message is truly representative of Him and the way that He wants to be received.
"Seek and you shall find." - Matthew 7:7
S: Speak boldly and without fear.
Once I am confident that this is what God wants me to say, I can speak up boldly and without fear, knowing that the Lord will sustain me and support me in all that I do. People may still not like the message and they may still attack me or the project because of it, but I will be confident that the Lord will protect and defend me as long as I am doing His will.
"...continue to speak your word with all boldness..." - Acts 4:29
The Birth of a New Design
Out of SASS came a new design idea and a name for our Duck: Sass. You can find that design here:
Say It with SASS.
The Answer to the Question
For the record, my little talk with the Lord did end up leading me to the answer to my question. First, doing work for charity IS verified in Scripture many times over as being an acceptable - and very good way - to spend this day.
Here are a few of the times that Jesus healed the sick on the Sabbath day: Matthew 12:14, Matthew 12:15, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 13:10-16, Luke 14: 1-4, and John 5:1-16.
How can we rightly celebrate the Lord's Day without consideration for those that are closest to Christ's heart, namely the homeless, the naked, the hungry, the sick, and the imprisoned? As Christ told the Pharisees, who were upset over his works of charity on the Sabbath day, "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." - Matthew 13:12
If I needed additional confirmation, St. Pope John Paul II affirmed this in his letter Dies Domini, issued May 31, 1998. "Sunday should also give the faithful an opportunity to devote themselves to works of mercy, charity, and apostolate."
The Content Calendar
Having taken His chastisement to heart and worked to make reparations with those I'd harmed, I asked God for advice on a content strategy to use for blogging and posting to Social Media. I was struggling to keep up with consistency and needed a plan of action that I could be confident would be effective in drawing readers to the blog so that we could promote the brand.
He was quite helpful in that regard:
Sundays are for Strategy.
I'll consult the Lord as to what He has in mind for the rest of the week.
Mondays are for Marketing.
We'll be posting content that discusses various marketing strategies for those who are promoting us through our affiliate links.
Tuesdays are for Time Management Tips.
We'll be posting content that helps everyone get more out of their time so they can enjoy more of their life.
Wednesdays are for Wealth Building:
We'll be sharing strategies to multiply the dollars made by helping out Project Fed and turning those into generational wealth.
Thursdays are for Thanksgiving:
We'll be acknowledging the good things that have come our way, our volunteers, and our top promoters and supporters for the week.
Fridays are for Freebies:
We'll be listing out free resources that are beneficial to building a home-based business.
Saturdays are for Sales and Systems:
We'll be offering training on how to sell products and services without the pushiness or the hype as well as how to set up systems that help you make more while working less.
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