A journey cannot start if you are not prepared to go.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, our move to New Zealand has caused a drastic change in my personal walk with the Lord as well as in my personal life. Coming from a background of being the CFO of a company to being a homemaker and then a piano tutor was a big mind shift.

Today I would like to share a bit of the journey with you, and I hope that it will inspire you to grab onto the purpose God has for you.

When I arrived in Hamilton in June 2020, the last thought on my mind was that I would become a piano tutor. One of the first things I bought as a gift for myself and my daughter was our piano. I loved to play, but was very nervous when playing in front of an audience. So, I was fully prepared that I would be the homemaker for my family.

During the quieter times in the mornings when the kids were at school, I started to spend more time in God’s Word. I watched sermons and read books, and slowly the Lord began a good work in me.

I met a friend during that time, and she really inspired me to go deeper with my relationship with the Lord. I started to compose melodies which was inspired after I have read scripture and knew that Jesus was helping me through a major transition period of my life and he used one of my passions that I have buried for almost 20 years, to do so.

It was also this friend of mine who first suggested that I start providing music lessons for smaller children. I prayed about it and asked a mentor of mine what she thought and was encouraged to pursue this path. So, I started my teaching journey with 4 students (my friend’s two children and my own two children) in November 2020. By January 2021, the Lord had fanned into flame this passion of mine, and I started to also teach piano to a select few.

Going forward a few months, I joined up with a local music school in May 2021 and started to teach their curriculum (I wanted to give my students the opportunity to play exams). I am still teaching their curriculum, but also have the freedom to teach other curriculum so that I am able to provide for different student needs.

Never did I thought back in SA, that this would be a career path that would open up for me. This truly happened because God knew the desires of my heart and blessed me with the opportunity to pursue it.

I am still on a journey with the Lord and I know that where he leads, joy follows.

What does this have to do with spiritual strength training?

Being on this journey these past 4 years have trained me to:

1. Rely on the Lord for wisdom and seek his will – Proverbs 5:5 – 6
2. Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me – Galatians 5:25
3. Commit to the Lord everything I do – Proverbs 16:3
4. Rely on Christ to give me strength – Philippians 4:13
5. Not let fear of the unknown get a foothold and become a stumble block – 2 Timothy 1:7
6. Cast all of my cares unto the Lord – 2 Peter 5:7
7. Accept that God loves me and want good things for his children – Psalm 138:8 and Romans 8:28

It wasn’t easy. I had to overcome a lot of self-doubt and really had to learn what it means to trust Jesus to guide me. When we moved from Hamilton to the Wellington region, I had to start all over again. My first year in 2022, I had 4 students. In 2023 the Lord increased the total to 9. In 2024 3 students decided to pursue other paths, but the Lord provided again and now I have 11 students. This may seem like a small amount to some, but to me, it testifies of God’s faithfulness.

I hope this part of my journey may inspire you to keep on moving forward with the Lord and to pursue the visions he gives you with a joyful spirit. It is worth it!

With love

Catherina

PS: The Be Quiet and Listen Journal is now also available in eBook pdf format. The artwork has been redone, and the journal is now a bit more user-friendly. This is for those who really want to put in some effort to get to know and pursue the Lord and his purpose for their life. I am making this eBook available free of charge to all subscribers.  If you are interested in receiving the free copy, please press the subscribe button, and the link and password will be sent to your email address.