Philippians 1:3–11

A message for the person who is trying to begin again

Over the past few months, I have been sharing about beginning again and continuing when things get hard. Today, I want to bring you into a part of my story, because it speaks to the same lessons God is teaching many of us.

The Vision God Gave Me

When I founded McCarty Consulting in 2022, I knew the work included professional development and training. I tried several ways to bring that vision to life. I worked with individuals. I taught small groups. I led trainings inside organizations. Another part of the vision was hosting courses on my own website.

I thought it would be simple. It was not.

The First Attempt

I tried to build the website myself. The design looked wrong, and the back-end features did not work. People could not log in, payments were unreliable, and content would not display correctly. After months of work, I realized I needed help.

The Second Attempt

I outsourced the project. The website looked beautiful this time, but it still did not work. I invested money, time, and hope into something that never became usable. That loss was heavy, and I was VERY upset. I stepped back to focus on other assignments and to take a break.

When God Said Begin Again

Later, the Lord kept bringing the idea back to me. Every time I prayed, the same reminder rose in my spirit. Begin again. GET IT DONE!

So I prayerfully returned to the idea. I was very honest with God about my past disappointment, frustrations, and discouragement. I told Him that I needed His help to get this done. To endow me with His Spirit like never before, so I can get this website to work. I would be up at 2 and 3 in the morning, slowly working on a piece at a time. And I couldn’t believe how easy it was this time around. Y’all, the MC Learning Lab platform FINALLY works! Not only the website, but the technical pieces that had been so difficult for so long. After over two years in the making. Both finally work. And I could see God in every detail.

The Lesson in the Journey

The same God who strengthened Daniel, Nehemiah, Moses, and so many others is with us today. He has not changed.

When God gives an assignment, our responsibility is to walk it out.
You may go the wrong direction at first.
You may involve the wrong people.
You may make a poor investment.

But a mistake does not mean you should quit. Learn from it, regroup, and keep going.

I can look back and see moments when I forfeited promises because I leaned on my own understanding. The challenges I faced used to make me question whether I heard God correctly. It made me quit before I could see the promise fulfilled. Not anymore. Each day I choose to trust Him and obey Him.

God is faithful to perform His Word.

Remember the Promise

Think about Abraham.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you. And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
-Genesis 12:2 NKJV

Abraham did not even have children when he received this promise. And he did not see the promise fulfilled in one year or five. He and Sarah even tried to make their own way to get to the promise. But in God’s timing and in HIS way, the promise was fulfilled.

What has God promised you? What has God called you to do?

God did not lie to you. Do your part and allow Him to bless the works of your hands.

Be Encouraged

I am grateful I did not give up. I wanted to, but I held on to what God showed me. To see the website working. To see the first course displayed. To know everything works as it should. This is more than I expected. Don’t let what you see today cause you to let go of the promise.

Whatever the Lord told you to launch, prepare for it. Begin (or begin again). Trust Him. Put things in place. God did not lie to you. God is with you and God is for you. The promise will be fulfilled in Jesus’ Name.