Starting a new business is a big deal under normal conditions. Why did we start a subscription box in the midst of all of our crazy? It's simple, really. God put it on our hearts-Jason's first-and here we are.
We are now about to ship our 4th box. Has it grown like we hoped? No. Has it been easy? No. Has it been worth every second we have put into it? YES!
We have both read some amazing books. Some will go into boxes and some won't for various reasons, but all have been great stories with message that go straight to the heart. In reading all the books, I have learned and grown so much. When we started the business, it was mostly just for fun. Sure, I could read a few books and help Jason with some of the minor details, but I was pretty busy trying to teach in a classroom for the first time in 8 years (maybe 9) and couldn't really do much more than that. As we dove in, God really worked on my heart in the process. I realized the importance of providing our own kids with books that were enjoyable and gave a good message. It's more than just good defeats evil. It's that even if evil wins for a moment-and it often does in life, too-that we know who wins in the end. This knowledge helps us to come against hardship and come out stronger, with a deeper faith. It's that we see characters who never give up and stand beside friends and family no matter what. We get to see families grow together and face hardships as a unit. Characters in the books we hand to our children can reflect our values. They can reflect Christ without being Bible stories. They mimic life, even in a fantasy setting, and show us how we too can face hard things in our own life and that we are never alone.
My "why" is still simple. God put a dream in front of us (mostly Jason) and we said yes. I know my kids will encounter hardships in life and I can show them how I walk through hardships, but I can also show them others who do it-in real life and in a fantasy world. We need characters who face hard and come out on the other side with a deeper faith. Every story can point to Jesus in some way, but I want stories that go deeper and dig into how we face the hard and who we face it with.
Come along with us as we review books, offer our box, and grow in our own faith-making lots of mistakes along the way.
