Welcome to Estherpreneur, a podcast for
entrepreneurs and leaders doing business
and life God's way. Each week we
discuss biblical and practical tips to
improve your mind, business, spirit,
relationships, and finances. Listen
along as I speak with special guests on
how to thrive in all aspects of life.
Hi, I'm Edna. Like many of you, I
wear many hats. I'm a military wife,
mother, author, certified John Maxwell
business and executive coach, trainer and
founder of Favor and Wealth, where we
help the good guys win. So tune in as
we bring on the light.
Well, good morning, everyone. Good
afternoon. Good evening. Thank you for
tuning in for another episode of the
Estrepreneur Podcast. My name
is Edna Harding and if it sounds like I'm
whispering, it's because I'm recording
this early in the morning
before the family gets up. Kids are home
for Christmas break and
so I definitely wanted to get this out to
you guys in the midst of this busy
season. I am glad you
guys are here and tuning in and as we
wrap up 2024, could you guys believe it?
I can't believe it's the end of the year.
As we wrap up 20 Twenty-four, I wanted
to take this episode to reflect on the
most meaningful lessons God has taught me
this year. And so I'm
excited to share
these with you because I know that God is
going to speak to you even
during this last
week or last few days of 20
Twenty-four. And so let me just begin.
By saying that these are not just lessons
for me, but ones I hope will encourage
and inspire you in your own journey.
Today's episode is anchored in Proverbs
3/5 and six, which is a very common
verse, and that is trust in the Lord with
all of your heart and lean not on your
own understanding in all your ways.
Acknowledge Him and He will direct your
path. So let's go ahead and dive into
these lessons. Starting with something
really close to my heart, and that is my
children. This year I
had a moment that made me stop in awe of
God. OK?My
daughter Alayah said something that
filled me with so much joy. I
remember I was looking for Anaya's
backpack and I was telling Alayah to
help me and she was like
looking everywhere and just like she went
upstairs and she came back down. And
then she grabbed it. She showed me the
backpack and she said to me, she's like,
the Holy Spirit told me Anaya's backpack
was upstairs in Daddy's man cave.
And then I was shocked
and I was trying not to, like, freak out,
like in a good way. But I was just like,
OK And she said,
you know, Mommy, she said the Holy Spirit
always speaks to me. She's like, he
always speaks to me in her right ear.
But why does he always
whisper?I was
dumbfounded. I was like,
what?He speaks to
you. And then he's like, yes, God always
speaks to me, but he always whispers. I
have to really be quiet to hear him.
Oh my gosh. Like that brought so much
joy. I mean, I I wish I could like speak
louder so so you could feel the
excitement in my voice.
But I can't even imagine,
you know, I can't even begin right to
explain how much that touched me.
And like to see my
children continue to grow and their walk
with the Lord and really seek great and
mighty things like kill the sick, cast
out demons doing those things like.
That really touched my heart, because
that's exactly what I've been praying for
all this time. I've been asking God to
give my children discernment, to hear his
voice clearly, even at a young age.
So, you know, what this
moment taught me was that our children
are always watching and listening. They
see how we live out our faith, how we
respond to challenges, and how we trust
in God. And they even notice the big
things as well, the small things, right?
And those observations shape their own
walk with him. And so, you
know, in Proverbs 22, six, it says train
up a child in the way we should go, he
should go. And when he is hold, he would
not depart from it. Parents, I want
to encourage you guys today, be
intentional and living out your faith.
Speak about God's goodness. Pray in front
of your children. This is something that
I do not because. I'm trying to be
religious, but sometimes I pray for
strength, especially dealing with them
cause they're in that stage where they
like to push mommy's buttons and
then also let them see what trusting him
looks like. You know, when there are
challenges, cause trust us, we've gone
through challenges this year,
especially just just a lot of
things that are going out of your
control. I praise God in front of them.
I sing to him. You know, when I'm
frustrated, when I'm mad, I cry to the
Lord in in in praise and worship.
And they see that. They notice that. I
mean, sometimes I would see them looking
at me like, you know, or I would pray in
the spirit and they're like, why?Like
they're laughing at me when I'm praying
in the spirit. But you know, it is what
it is. I do what I need to do in order
for me to not lose my
sanity, right?
So I wanted to end with this. You may
think they're not paying attention, but
trust me, they are. All right, let's go
to the next lesson. The
next lesson is be fruitful
even in the mundane. You know, I'll be
honest. There were seasons where I felt
like nothing was happening. I was putting
in the work, staying faithful, but it
felt like I was in a barren season.
Now, as I look back, I realize God was
using all those things to prepare me for
this extremely busy. And fruitful
season I'm experiencing now. Every
small task, every late night, every
moment of obedience was planting seeds
that are now flourishing. You know, in
Galatians 69 it says that is
not go weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a reward if we
do not give
up. And you know, that's easier said than
done, but I want to. Speak to
those who are in a season who feels like
your efforts are unnoticed or
unimportant. I'm here to
encourage you on the other side to keep
going. God sees your faithfulness, and
he's using even the mundane to fulfill
his promises. The scripture says don't
despise small beginnings because he's
working behind the scenes, right?So I'm
telling you, speaking from the other
side, if I didn't do those mundane
things, if I didn't obey. Every single
time he told me to create some sort of
worksheet, to create some sort of
template, to create some sort of action
plan. Basically everything that I'm doing
to serve my clients now that I
did, that I'm doing, that I did to serve
my clients now, even though at that time
I didn't have the clients, it's all
making sense. And I'm so glad I listened
because it's making my
ability to really
serve my clients well this season.
So much easier because I've done the work
and now it's just like kind of falling
into place, if that makes sense. All
right. OK, let's move on. I'm
getting the sniffles here, so don't mind
me. The third
lesson I wanted to share about is finding
joy in serving others. This year, I've
seen so many of my clients hit their
goals. Experience breakthroughs and make
real progress. And if you're one of my
clients, you know this, right?This has
been like a year where a lot of my
clients are starting to see
traction and seeing results
based on the on the strategies
that God gave me. Especially those who
are, who didn't quit, who are, who kept
going, and who believe God no
matter what it looked like in the
natural. You know, watching her joy and
excitement has brought me more happiness
than even my own accomplishments. And
the reason I'm sharing this is this
season, God has been reminding me that my
reward comes from him, not from people.
You know, there were times when I felt
like I'm not charging what I should be
charging. Trust me, I know, because I
know what my peers are charging and I
know what I'm charging and I know I can
deliver same or even
actually thank Holy Spirit. I'm not even
going to be humble about this, like
better results because I've hired those
people just to learn what the world is
teaching. And I'm like, this is horrible.
Like I could do better than this. And
it's really like. It's hard sometimes
cause I'm like, this is so sad. Like I'm
working with people who can't
really afford me, but I want to bless
them. But I know this is where God called
me and I'm like, but I could be working
with people who can afford me, but that's
not who God called me to. Does that make
sense?And so it was a very tough
season because I know, you
know, financially where I could be
versus where I am, where I am and
where I was these past years.
But the Lord really showed to me that
my reward is him, not through
the people that I serve. And that was a
mind shifter for me. I hope you hear me
by way of the Spirit, you know, cause I I
know that I know what my market value
is. Obviously I'm a marketing and sales
strategist. I know what it is. I've done
my research, right?But the Lord has
been clear with me that being a blessing
to his body is more important than money,
OK?And I know this is
not what you guys want to hear, and this
is not what I wanted to hear, but it is
more blessed to give than to receive,
right?And that's scripture, Acts 20,
verse thirty-five. I realized that
when I take care of God's business, he
always takes care of mine.
And I saw that in
between the me serving people
with my gifting. He would trickle in
other blessings that I didn't expect,
rewards and even clients
who did pay me what I was worth. But it
wasn't. It wasn't like
based on my business, if that makes
sense. It was based on God's grace, right?
Where like, for example, a
client just said yes to me without even
knowing my price, like doesn't even know
what I charge.
And it's already like planning out, like
how often he wants to meet with me and
all those things. And I'm like, whoa, you
know, that's amazing. And this just
happened this week, right?And it just
reminded me that God's faithful. He sees
what you've done for his people, and he
will reward you for your
obedience. OK,
So if you're in a place where you feel
tension between charging what you're
worth and serving others, I encourage you
to listen to God's leading. Trust him
to be your provider because your
obedience and generosity are not in vain
and he will honor them. All right.
And last but not least, the last lesson I
want to share is this is you are more
capable than you think.
This year I felt really stretched.
There were so many tasks to complete and
at times it felt overwhelming, right?I
had a lot of assignments, a lot of
projects, a lot of clients to
serve and. And then at the same
time, I was serving in the church, right?
In the ministry in Colorado, I was in a
peer team. I had my women's group. I
had, you know,
the young adults. I had a few other
things. And then on top of that, I'm a
busy mom with children and I have a
military wife. And then I had
responsibilities also as a board member
for JCC OSI have a podcast. I
had a lot of things, OK.
To add to that challenge, mind you, we
moved from Colorado to Alabama late this
summer at the very last minute. It was
something that they gave us a month and a
half to do. The military did,
you knowAnd the thing about it is,
what's incredible about this is by His
grace, I was able to complete everything,
like literally everything, right?
Launching my group coaching program,
getting my first group cohort,
like finishing my workbook. You
know, creating all my content, all
that stuff. That took a lot of time
and I finished it. And that was a God
thing. I can honestly, that was a God
thing. There was no way. I'm such a busy
person. You know, I have no idea. Like,
I'm so busy just getting the house
settled with young children
and cooking and cleaning and doing all
that stuff, you know, cause I'm not
hiring any mains. It's all me,
I. Really can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me, as Philippians
413 says. So if you guys are
in a season where you feel stretched, let
me encourage you to lean into God's
strength. He will equip you to handle
more than you think, and His grace will
sustain you and His power will carry you
through. You're not alone. You're more
than capable than you realize. All right,
now I just want to end with this. As I
reflect on these lessons, I see how
they're all connected. Number one,
live authentically for my children,
staying faithful in the mundane,
serving others with joy and trust in his
provisions, recognizing God's strength
within me to do more than I
imagine. Those are the four lessons I
just talked about. Guess what?Each of
these lessons reminds me that God's plans
are so much bigger and better than we can
imagine. I want to leave you with one
final verse that ties us all together.
Matthew 2521 says,
Well done, good and faithful servant. You
have been faithful over a few things. I
will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of the Lord.
All right, now a short turn. Take some
time to reflect on your own lessons from
2024. What has God been teaching you?
I'd love for you to share your thoughts
in the comments or on social media or
message me on my website
estrapreneur.com. Now, if you're looking
for more Bible-based encouragement and
guidance, check out our Group Growth
Mentoring program. It's a community
designed to help you align your business
and personal life with God's purposes and
his wisdom while growing in confidence
and clarity. It's called Business
Unlimited. Check out my website.
Go to services, group growth and
mentoring. You'll be able to see that and
all of the perks and the benefits of
being in there is also there. OK. All
right. Well, thank you guys for tuning in
today. And I just want to close us out in
prayer. Father God, thank
you for the lessons you've taught us this
year. Thank you for speaking to us, even
in whispers and for working through every
season of our lives. Help us to
carry these shoots into the new year with
faithfulness, joy, and trust in you.
Bless every listener, guide them in their
journey, and remind them that you are
always with them. In Jesus mighty name.
Amen. All right, guys, until
next time, stay encouraged, stay
faithful, and keep trusting him. I'll see
you guys on the next episode. Blessings,
my friends, and have a wonderful new
year. Take care.
Thanks for joining us this week on
Estapreneur. Make sure to visit our
website favorandwealth.com For more
information on our services. While you're
at it, if you found value in this show,
we'd appreciate a rating on iTunes. Or if
you simply tell a friend about the show,
that would help me out too. Also check
out my book, The Ugly Side of Sales,
available on Amazon, where I share seven
of my secrets on how to win and grow
business the right way. Until next time,
keep shining.