What is Design Life Inspired?

Design Life Inspired is a place for you to turn to as you are walking through the peaks and valleys of your life, seeking to create a life with God.

I know the power of having someone just say something to confirm your direction, to speak words of healing over the pain you’ve gone through, and to encourage you when you are down. Words have the ability to lift people up and give them life.

Throughout my life, I never quite had people around me to speak these things into my life. Instead, I had Jesus, whom I considered my best friend since I was 14 (after I had a supernatural encounter with God alone in my bedroom). He was the only one I could tell my real feelings to about the things going on in my life. There are times in my life when I forgot about Him, though, and had felt alone, but He was always there, waiting for me to call upon Him.

God Ministered to Me Through My Own Writing

I’ve had a journal since 4th grade, since one of my teachers assigned us journal writing. We were assigned to write as much as we could every day, and fill up our composition notebooks. We’d get prizes for filling up 25 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages, and a mini plastic trophy when we filled up the entire book.

That year of writing started my habit of just dumping my feelings in my journals. When I didn’t have someone to share my worries with, I had Jesus and a place to get things off my chest.

Sometimes, I’d read through some of my old journal entries. Once in a while, there was wisdom there that I didn’t even know myself. Often I’d look back and wonder how I had written such things.

The same thing happened with some of the many blogs I had started and stopped over the past 15 years. Although I closed down these blogs, I had some entries stored on my computer and found them when I needed to hear the words I had used to try and help others. I knew that a lot of my writings could not have come from me since I couldn’t put words together like that.

I know now that God had been speaking to me, and through me, through my writing. Often they were just the words I needed to encourage me during dark times.

Knowing People’s Hearts

My entire life, when people were struggling around me, I always knew what to say to them at the right time to lift them up or guide them. My empathy was supercharged. I felt their emotions, their heart. As I softly confronted people with the truth of what I saw, I saw surprised looks as they were shocked. They wondered how I knew their real feelings and intentions — the things they had been trying to hide from even themselves.

I read people’s hearts rather than the words that came out of their mouth.

I’ve found that people often say things they don’t really mean in order to hide the truth of what they really feel or believe. Sometimes they try to deceive themselves into believing a certain direction is the direction they should take because of what society or others would expect of them, or they are embarrassed of the truth of how they feel since society wouldn’t approve, or they just try to act like things are ok when they are actually feeling pretty broken inside.

I’ve had strangers tell me their life story, or their deepest, darkest secrets, (even randomly while waiting in line somewhere,) about things they needed healing in. They had never confided in anyone about this issue. They’d say, “I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I’ve never told anyone this before.”

Perhaps God used me during those times to help people get these things off their chest to a total stranger that wouldn’t judge them for what they were going through. Perhaps they needed someone to empathize to heal their broken hearts. I’ve even counseled hairdressers, when they are usually the only to provide “therapy” for their clients.

I’d softly demolish insecurities, false disempowering belief systems, and encourage people to pursue their dreams, do the things they really wanted deep inside, and give themselves permission to do something that was really good and healthy for themselves.

One example of this is when I was working with a clothing factory in New York City to get a sample made for a women’s clothing line I wanted to create. I was talking to a Chinese woman, the factory owner, and a brief visit turned into a longer visit as she started telling me about how she worked until 11pm every day. She told me that she would go home very late at night, then cook dinner for her kids so that they would have dinner for the next day (since she wouldn’t see them).

She lived her life not seeing her children. Plus, she hadn’t taken a vacation in over 20 years, working non-stop to meet the demands of factory life.

She also told me about all the injustices that were happening to her with large fashion brands taking advantage of her factory and not paying her after the work was complete and delivered. It was eye opening to say the least. I published that story on my tiny blog at the time to bring to light this unfair situation for an immigrant worker (for privacy, I didn’t include any names of the companies involved in there). Somehow the NYC Garment District found it and shared it.

As the factory owner told me her story, I empathized, and suggested that maybe she trust some of her employees to close up the factory for her in the evenings. Her kids needed her. Maybe she could eat dinner with them and then come back to work if she had to. I just threw out a few suggestions, and also suggested that she should take a vacation. She’s worked so hard, and she really deserves some time off, and that it’s ok to take some time off, especially after such an incredibly long period of time without one!

The next time I went, I was so surprised to see that she had actually taken a vacation! She was so excited to see me and reported that she had taken some time off to take a trip to China to see her relatives that she hadn’t seen in decades! Wow, I felt so happy that she could connect with her family again.

I had no idea that my small suggestion would lead to her actually making a change. She had revolved her entire life only around work and had no room for anything else. She was in survival mode. I understood this immigrant lifestyle, as I’d seen it in so many families growing up.

I also came out of this experience understanding the power of a small well-meaning suggestion. I wasn’t judging her priorities. I was just showing her that she could have a better, healthier, happier lifestyle by giving herself permission to take some time off and spend time with family.

This experience showed me the power of a small suggestion (even from a total stranger!), and how it can give us permission to do something that we didn’t give ourselves permission to do. Sometimes, a different perspective is all it takes to make a positive change in someone’s life.

Sharing my gift

After decades of not realizing that my ability to speak into people’s deepest fears, insecurities, and broken places was a gift that not everyone had, I finally realized that this was actually a gift God gave me to use to help others.

Somehow, people were able to trust me with their deepest worries, pains, and traumas. I thought everyone was able to do this if they just cared about others, but I now realize that this is a gift that not everyone has — the ability to read people’s hearts and counsel them with wisdom they need to hear.

I’ve only shared this gift with people privately one-on-one, as the need for it arose. I also haven’t really shared my faith and my walk with God with most people, as I didn’t think most people would understand my relationship with God. I had dedicated my life to God at the age of 14, and since then, I was so dedicated to doing whatever He had created me to do. I’ve been on such a long search to find my purpose in life, as many of you might have been also.

Now, nearly 3 decades later, I see God encouraging me to share my faith and gifts more openly with people here.

This is a big step for me as I’ve always kept my life super private. As an introvert, I’ve always prayed to God to keep me anonymous throughout my life. I never wanted a public platform, any sort of public anything, really!

While others wanted fame, I wanted to be hidden. I was content behind-the-scenes. But, as I kept seeking God about what He wanted me to do with my life, I felt Him calling me to come out from the hidden places to use my words to speak words of healing and encouragement over those who needed it.

This is how this blog was born.

I’ve been through so many valleys in my life and know how critical hearing a word of encouragement is during those difficult times. Seeing how God was able to speak to me through my own writing, I knew that perhaps it could help others too.

God has planned a purpose for you

As you journey through your life to follow the call God has placed on your life, I want to encourage you, strengthen you, and empower you to go forth courageously and confidently in the plan God has designed for you.

This is why this blog is called Design Life Inspired. We want to design our lives with our Creator. He created us, and only He knows what we were designed for. He designed us for a purpose, and only He can tell us what that is.

We can go around living our lives trying to do whatever we want, but ultimately, those things we pursue won’t provide the fulfillment that we are seeking if the direction we’re going is not from God. Only when we walk in God’s plan for our lives will we experience true fulfillment.

Design your life inspired by God… the one true God, the Living God.

I won’t promise you that it’s an easy road. It’s actually quite the opposite. It’s tough. Very tough. The enemy does not want us to succeed in our God-given mission. There are many trials, challenges, and often tears, but know that God is for you, and that God will bring you out of these difficult seasons. Keep your faith up, hope high, and you will come out of all dark seasons victorious!

I want you to know that God has big plans for you. If you are reading this, it is no accident you found this message. I wrote this for you.

You were created for a purpose. If you haven’t found that direction yet, seek His face. In due time, it will be revealed to you, step by step.

…Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these these shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33

Let me pray for you.

Heavenly Father, I pray that all those who are reading this be filled with the Holy Spirit right now. I pray that you go into the dark places in their lives to heal them, deliver them, set them free, and fill them with Your unconditional love. May they experience a personal encounter with You. Father, I pray that you will guide them to the purpose You created them for, and that you make it very clear so that they can hear You. Give them the confidence and courage to step out boldly in the new path You have for them. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God bless you in your journey. It is my deepest desire that you walk in the path God has for you. May God give you the clarity, conviction, strength, and persistence, to take you on the journey ahead.