We are going to start occasionally featuring some of the "Women of Heart Work Tees." These ladies are such an inspration, and I know you will be encouraged by their stories.
Featured Woman of Heart Work Tees - Haley Bates- Owner of BELOdesigns
Haley is a Christ follower, a wife of 13 years, mother to 3 children, who are beautiful on the inside and out, and a homeschooling momma. Haley makes beautiful jewelry designed to honor God and remind us of God's love and what is truly important in life.
She is passionate about the restoration the Lord can do in the hearts of women and marriages and is also writing a marriage study and prayer journal.
How did you get started with BELOdesigns?
BELOdesigns came out of 1 - obeying the Lord and leaving my full time job in the oil and gas industry, which was very hard to walk away from; and 2 - a craft that I did with a good friend for Christmas presents one year. I never intended or wanted to make it a business, but God had other plans.
The name of my business comes from the name that God gave me many years ago while on a retreat. The retreat asked us to stop answering the names that the world labeled us, and to answer to the name the Lord calls us. I almost audibly hear the Lord whisper in my ear, "Beloved." My husband knew I wanted to have a business some day, and he actually came up with BELOdesigns. It keeps someone wondering what does BELO mean and leaves room for conversation and to tell the story!
What is your theme verse?
I think that my favorite verse has changed with the seasons of my life. I'm just coming out of one season and into another right now. My theme verse has been from Hosea 2:14-15, "The Lord says, 'I will allure her to the desert and (it is) there that I will speak tenderly to her and make the valley of Achor (trouble) a DOOR OF HOPE and I will give her back her vineyards and I will give her back the songs of her youth.'"
When I tell people this is my favorite verse they sometimes look at me like, "What?" But I love how the Lord actually sometimes uses things of this world to ALLURE us to a dark, barren, dry, alone desert, because sometimes that is what it takes for us to listen to His voice. It says "there I will speak tenderly to her," and I think all of us women long to be spoken tenderly to. Our sweet Father longs for us to hear His tender voice.
Then HE (no one or nothing else) will make our "Valley of Trouble" a "DOOR OF HOPE!" Thank you Father! From there He will restore (in my own words) the joy of our salvation, set our feet upon a rock, and make our heart's desires align with His. Then we can experience ture joy. I spent several years in the Valley of Achor and He allured me to the desert. He followed through with these promises that are written! Amen!
Tell us about what motivated you to write "She Does Him Good"
I started the book for a person very close to my heart who was struggling through some marital issues. I asked her to commit to praying for her husband for 30 days, and initially it was just going to be a prayer challenge that I found on the internet. Then the Lord didn't just nudge me to reach out and send it to more women, but literally burdened my heart with a pain in my chest, so I knew I had to be obedient to Him. He began placing many women on my heart, and so the first daily texting prayer challenge began.
My husband, Josh, and I have been through a lot in our marriage, some very painful and hopeless situations. We have watched our marriage be restored by the Creator of the universe from a very broken place. At the beginning of our trials, the Lord told me that He was going to use what I was going through for other women and marriages. I tucked that promise in my heart, not knowing how or when. This year, 8 years later, I heard Him say, "it is time to tell your story!" He did it in such a way that I couldn't have imagined it. A texting ministry? Where I told women to have grace and compassion on men? It is almost comical to me how He used my greatest weakness and turned it into something like this.
God burdened my heart for our husbands. The Lord showed me a new perspective, and has given me a glimpse into the battles our men face. He allowed me to better understand that they are fighting their minds, hearts, and bodies daily, and we don't need to be one of their battles. There is much more to my story, but I believe there are more chapters or books to come. At leaset that is what the Lord is telling me, so again I will wait for His leading! To God be the Glory!
What would you say to encourage other women?
I would tell women so many things. Oh my goodness, it is hard to cram it into one answer. I'm passionate about women, and I desire for them to know their worth in their creator and to know that they are lovely and they are loved!
I would encourage women to not sell out to the world, and to not answer to the names the world calls you. Do not let your past, present, future, or any person of this world define who you are, but instead sell out to the Creator of your soul and let Him speak tenderly to your heart and answer to the name that He calls you. When you sell out to Jesus and accept His grace and salvation, then your Creator will begin to stir in your heart the desires that He placed in there long ago.
And as we obedient to Him, He will fulfill His promises to us. He doesn't always promise that it will be easy, pretty, or financially stable, but He promises to never leave us or forsake us; He will mold our hearts to conform to His will so that no matter if we are in plenty or in want, we will learn to be content in every situation and draw our strength from Christ Jesus, our Savior!
"She Does Him Good" will be available around May 15.
You can Pre-Order it now on here.
Bonus Gift: If you use the coupon code HEART, Haley will include a "She Does Him Good" bangle bracelet with your book as a special gift!
www.belodesignsjewelry.com belodesigns@gmail.com
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