Seeing the power of God in the clothing industry
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and inspiring words, but with the demonstration of the power of the Spirit, so that your faith may not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:3-5).
I learned this principle years ago that we must put our natural talents on hold to make sure God is present in whatever we are doing.
Crystal is a businesswoman involved in manufacturing designer clothes. His designs are known for their detailed details and accessories sewn into the clothing. It had a contract with a major retail chain that agreed to carry clothes here. A call came in from the retailer requesting that four designs be sent to them for consideration for the next season’s clothing line. She knew that meeting this particular deadline was going to be very difficult due to other circumstances going on in her life.
Eventually the deadline came and she hadn’t finished the two pieces of clothing she wanted to consider. The detailed detailing and finishing work for which she was known was not completed on two of the four pieces they were demanding. She called the retailer and said she had two pieces ready to ship but the other two still needed to be completed. The retailer argued with him and said, “Send others to us anyhow.”
Crystal is a perfectionist and the idea of ​​sending her designs to a retailer without the final details, creativity and quality made her very uncomfortable. Then, he recalled my teaching on this principle. He decided to do something completely contrary to his natural inclination. She shipped the two pieces of clothing to the retailer along with two other “finished” garments. She was surprised to learn that the retailer selected the two pieces of clothing that were not “finished” and rejected the other two.
Crystal realized that God was demonstrating His power by withholding her natural gift to show her that it was by His hand that she was becoming successful in her business. This did not remove his need to be creative or skilled, but there was now a new understanding of how to move forward in a dimension that relied more on obedience rather than just his natural skills.
