simplifying my life: Red Head Vintage

so a few posts back i mentioned how i was trying to simplify my life. well i am really striving to do this in all areas of my life. i decided i would break it up into a few posts ... sorta like a mini series.

i started Red Head Vintage in january. I stated that if i did or didn't have success that was okay. well i was having some success. which sent me into a whirlwind of how could i keep improving the store. what happened to me just selling a few vintage finds???

my problem is, if i want to do something i tend to invest my self fully into it. which i don't think is a bad thing necessarily. i think that's biblical. but at what cost was this to my family? i was taking my kids to 3 different thrift stores before noon. i took a fun weekly outing with my kids (which they actually used to enjoy) and turned it into work. my kids started to dread going. what did i do??

clothes started to take over my dinning room.  i began to obsess over my next photo shoots with my sister. how was i going to top my previous shoot. why did i seem the need to prove myself to others or to myself. this attitude was not biblical and God revealed this to me through a dear dear friend.

i decided to close down the store. if i went thrifting it was to only one store and i made a personal vow to only buy things i needed (that's subjective HA!) and not buy anything that i could sell. i deleted a ton off of the store and donated the majority back to the thrift stores.

after a few weeks i started to sell what was all left in my store. i started to get the itch back.

i prayed about it. why was God now blessing my store after i decided to give it up??

i have come to the decision, through prayer and advice from my family that it was not a sin to have the store but the anxiety caused by the store was sinful. it was because i was no longer glorifying God through the store. after i gave it up and let Him control my life, He started to bless the areas in my life that i enjoy.

i am keeping the store. i will add a few awesome pieces occasionally, as i come across them. if i do a photo shoot, it will be filled with valuable sister time to help in our growing relationship. 

i know i can honor God through the store. i just need to make sure that i never let it become about me. when i do my family and my relationship with my God suffers.