Deferred but Not Denied

 

 

Chanel Abrams – cbn.com

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12 NIV)

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

For years I dreamed of working as a makeup artist for CBN.

You see, my Christian faith is infused into every fiber of my being. This proved to be a challenge on some of the sets where I found myself and I was constantly monitoring my conversations to be sure not to offend anyone by speaking of this Jesus who I love so much.

But how could I keep quiet about His goodness towards me? The fact that I’m even able to perform the tasks that I do with my hands is a miracle in and of itself. I’ve never had any formal training or been to school for my craft. My hands have been blessed by the Master.

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before I mentioned the name of Jesus and was being pulled aside with a stern talking to regarding discussing religion on the set.

On the heels of my fourth rejection I was feeling defeated. I doubted my skill level and abilities. On top of that, there were several instances on the set with other artists where they spoke negatively about me when they thought I wasn’t listening.

One night while searching through social media, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to search “makeup artists” and “CBN.” An artist who had worked for CBN came up. I sent her an email explaining my story and she informed me that she wasn’t able to help me at that time. But sometime later she contacted me with the news that CBN was seeking an artist for the Washington, D.C., bureau! I submitted my application that day. Shortly after that I would receive a phone call for an interview, an audition, and then an offer of a position as makeup artist with CBN. Wow! How amazing!

If you are reading this with a dream that may be deferred, let me encourage you: God hasn’t forgotten about you. I honestly wanted to give up at times. But the race isn’t given to the swift or to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. Amidst obstacles and disappointments, stand strong knowing that in due season you will reap (Galatians 6:9).