" God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine, or guess, or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around, but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.” - Joanna Gaines
Whether it's Kayne West buying Kim Kardashian West another extravagant gift or Kendall Jenner walking another fashion runway show, the Kardashians have dominated American pop culture.
Between Kim's leaked "sex tape" and the sisters' wild escapades, I would say that the Kardashians aren't exactly on the top of my list for positive role models. The Kardashians' endorsement of waist training promotes unhealthy beauty standards and their video game prioritizes becoming an A-List celebrity the main purpose in life. Basically, the Kardashians are simply famous for being famous. A strong, positive role model on reality television that young women can look up to is Joanna Gaines on HGTV's Fixer Upper. Currently, Joanna's life serves as living proof of the American dream and how mightily God can use one woman's life to serve the gospel.
Joanna Gaines is the creative genius behind Magnolia Homes. Along with Magnolia Homes, Chip and Joanna Gaines are owners of Magnolia Market, Magnolia Farm, and Magnolia Bakery. On HGTV's Fixer Upper, Joanna Gaines co-stars with her husband, Chip Gaines, where they renovate homes for families in Waco, Texas. While the television program centers around the home makeovers, the heart of the show stems from Joanna and her beautiful family. Between raising four children and running a successful business, Joanna encompasses a wonderful work ethic that allows her to balance both her career and family.
However, Joanna hasn't always lived a glamorous life. Throughout her childhood, Joanna was bullied for her ethnicity and believed the devil's deceitful lie that she would never be 'good enough'. As a result, she became a tragic victim to shame and insecurity issues that developed into deep, emotional scars. After high school, Joanna graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Communications and was offered a design internship in New York, which all coincided with God's sovereign plan. Joanna's life is proof that that God knows what He is doing.
Several years later, Joanna had just opened Magnolia Market the first time when she felt that the Lord was transitioning her to become a stay-at-home mom to raise and nurture her four children. Unable to both manage Magnolia Market and be obedient to her motherly duties, Joanna made the heartbreaking decision to close the successful little shop. And just like that, Joanna trusted God's sovereign plan and said goodbye to everything that she worked so diligent to build, so she could become a stay-at-home mom and raise her children.
"I remember the last day, you know we're closing the shop and I'm crying because it's the end of a dream. And, I feel like I hear God saying very clearly, 'Joanna, if you trust Me with your dreams, I'm going to take Magnolia further than you could've ever dreamed, so just trust in Me.' I remember hearing that and feeling completely at peaceful about it, and I walked away." - Joanna Gaines
Ultimately, Joanna remembered God constantly reassures Christians of His goodness and graciousness, which enabled her to truly trust in His plan. A few years later, Chip and Joanna Gaines found themselves on the 'platform' God had placed on their hearts so many years ago. A production company heard about their home renovation business and Joanna's background in interior design. The unique platform that God custom-built to reveal his love and power was a HGTV's top-rated show "Fixer Upper." And, the rest is history!
Whether you're a working mother, a single mother, or a soul-searching woman, Joanna's life story can encourage us all to make a life-long commitment entrusting in God's word. Perhaps, the most important lesson we can learn from Joanna's journey is we need to learn to put God first in everything we do and trust in His sovereign plan. Why? God's sovereign plan will lay before you positive, rich feedback with a successful future that will grow into a beautiful Magnolia tree. God will intentionally orchestrate positive and negative moments in your life so we can learn to live by faith in Him. All the Kim Kardashians in the world focus on self-fulfillment and joyful satisfaction on worldly values, yet Joanna Gaines praises her Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed upon in her life.
"God taught me to study the Word and believe in it, even when it hadn't been fulfilled yet. I really had to cultivate a place of faith that I never had before. I had to trust in Him as He would speak His promise to me. This trust brought peace, although my circumstances hadn't yet reflected his promise. His word doesn't return void, and God was working in my heart to establish deeper levels of trust that I now look back on and I'm thankful for." - Joanna Gaines
