Massive & Major: The Door I Never Saw Coming

There are moments in life when God does something so unexpected that it takes time to fully process what happened.

I’m still processing this one.

Two weeks ago, I found myself in the middle of one of the busiest seasons I’ve had in a long time. I was helping lead the food and décor for my church’s first-ever Business Expo and it’s Annual Business Cohort Graduation Celebration. What started as an event planned for 100 people quickly grew to more than 200 attendees, but the budget stayed the same.

The entire time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the story of the two fish and five loaves.

How would everything come together?

How would the food stretch?

How would all the details be covered?

Yet God continued to provide.

Early in the planning process, the Holy Spirit placed three specific people on my heart to help me. When I reached out, each one immediately said yes. Together, they helped bring the vision to life. The venue looked beautiful. The food was excellent. The atmosphere was welcoming. Watching it all come together reminded me once again that God’s provision often arrives through people willing to serve.

At the same time, I was preparing my Ja’ja Chews® vendor table and serving on the Expo and Graduation Planning Committee for our nine-month Kingdom business cohort. My greatest desire was to help steward eight entrepreneurs as they crossed the stage and celebrated all God had done in their businesses.

That was where my focus was.

Serving.

Not competing.

Serving.

The Competition I Didn’t Want

Somewhere in the middle of all the planning, I was invited to apply for a faith-based business pitch competition. Think of it as a Kingdom-centered version of Shark Tank.

Honestly?

I had no desire to participate.

My schedule was already overflowing.

Still, out of obedience, I submitted an application and recorded the required one-minute video while sitting in my car in a store parking lot just before the deadline.

Then I waited.

Not long afterward, I received the email.

I wasn’t selected.

And to my surprise, I felt relieved.

I happily returned my full attention to preparing for the Expo, supporting the graduates, finalizing décor details, coordinating food, and making sure my Ja’ja Chews® vendor table was ready.

In my mind, that chapter was closed.

Or so I thought.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

On the morning of the event, I was driving nine cases of water to the church.

My mind wasn’t on pitching.

It wasn’t on presentations.

It wasn’t on competition.

I was thinking about where I could buy organic English cucumbers for the cucumber-mint water station.

My phone rang.

I ignored it.

A few moments later, I saw a message:

URGENT — Call Me.

It was one of the pitch competition coordinators.

When I called back, she immediately said:

“You’re pitching tonight.”

I started explaining why that wasn’t possible.

“I’m not home, I’m in Orlando.”

“I don’t have pitch slides.”

“I don’t have business clothes.”

“I haven’t practiced.”

“I’ve already moved on mentally.”

The truth is, I was excited to simply sit in the audience and cheer for the entrepreneurs who had been selected.

But while I was listing all the reasons why I couldn’t do it, I felt the Lord quietly impress something on my heart:

Walk through the door I opened.

Trusting the God Who Opens Doors

At that point, there was no time to overthink.

No time to create the perfect plan.

No time to prepare the way I would have preferred.

There was only enough time to trust God.

And that’s exactly what I did.

That evening, I stood on stage representing Ja’ja Chews®—a business the Lord birthed through surrender, prayer, obedience, and countless moments of faith.

I shared my story.

I shared the vision.

And I trusted God with the outcome.

By the end of the night, I was announced as the winner.

Even now, writing those words feels surreal.

The Real Victory

As exciting as the victory was, winning wasn’t the greatest lesson from that night.

The greatest lesson was seeing God’s sovereignty at work.

I thought my assignment was to serve behind the scenes.

God had prepared a stage.

I thought the closed door meant “not this time.”

God was simply arranging His timing.

I thought I needed more preparation.

God reminded me that He is not limited by my preparation.

Too often, we believe God can only move through the opportunities we see.

But sometimes He is working behind the scenes, arranging details we know nothing about while we faithfully steward the assignments already in front of us.

That’s what happened to me.

While I was carrying water, coordinating volunteers, planning food stations, and serving others, God was orchestrating something I never expected.

Looking back, I realize the miracle wasn’t the win.

The miracle was the invitation.

The miracle was the reminder that God sees faithful service.

The miracle was discovering that while I was focused on being useful behind the scenes, He was preparing something greater than I could have planned myself.

Not By Might, Not By Power

If I had to summarize this entire experience in one verse, it would be this:

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

Everything about that evening pointed back to Him.

Not my preparation.

Not my ability.

Not my planning.

His Spirit.

His timing.

His sovereignty.

His faithfulness.

And for that, I am deeply grateful.

Sometimes the door you think has closed is simply waiting for God’s perfect timing to open. Keep serving. Keep trusting. Keep stewarding what He has already placed in your hands. He knows exactly where to find you when it’s time for your next chapter.