About two years after I opened my private practice, Cedar Rapids, Iowa was hit with devastating floods. The downtown area was under 19 feet of water. Bridges were swept away. Entire neighborhoods were evacuated and most of those homes and businesses were ultimately condemned and torn down. As the flood waters slowly began to dry up, so did my income. The majority of my clients and directees at that time were local small business owners who had to stop or delay working with me in order to take care of their own homes and businesses. I was really nervous. My business was my sole source of income at that time. Starting my business had been a real leap of faith, but I had succeeded up to this point in making enough to live. I was just above the ‘break even’ point. I had discovered that only 30% of my time could go to actually serving my clients, and about 70% of my time had to be devoted to business development. That was something no one told me ahead of time, but I learned this was typical. But I’d succeeded in finding a niche, creating a brand, and generating enough clients to live. Until the flood. Everyone was feeling depressed economically and emotionally – me included.

One evening I had an opportunity to meet with a group of colleagues who gather about 30 minutes from my home. I wasn’t sure I was fit company to be out in public. I wasn’t sure I should use up the gas in my car. I wasn’t sure – but I went anyway. As I drove, I prayed out loud and told God how scared I was. All I had in my wallet was 6 dollars. Everything in the bank was allocated for checks I’d written or checks I needed to write to cover my bills. My savings were nearly depleted, and I didn’t see anything coming in soon. As I prayed, I realized something important – in that moment, I had everything I needed. In fact I had 6 dollars more than what I needed. I felt prompted to lay those 6 dollars on the seat next to me, and I asked God to bless each one.

When I arrived at the restaurant where the group was meeting, I noticed that another member was also early. ‘F’ is a gifted healer and teacher, but at that moment she was in a very low place. She’d also lost clients and was worried about her business. I sat down and listened and encouraged my friend and when the waiter came I felt prompted to buy her a cup of tea. While she’s talking and the waiter is waiting, I’m arguing with God in the back of my head. “But that’s going to take all the money I have,” I complained. But I still felt that prompting, and did it. By the time the rest of the group arrived, we’d finished our tea, and my friend’s heart was much lighter. She thanked and hugged me and we went in to the meeting.

There were six of my colleagues there that night, and at one point someone began talking about a new speaker’s bureau that they’d heard about. Every head around the table turned and looked at me and said, “Lisa, you need to do this.” They knew I enjoy speaking, but they didn’t know how broke I was. The cost of the program – $600. The irony wasn’t lost on me that 6 people were telling me to spend $600 when I had just asked God bless my last $6. I tried to put them off, but my friends wouldn’t let up. I finally said I would do it as soon as I had the money on hand, and silently asked God to make it possible for me to live up to my commitment.

The meeting ended, and as I travelled home I called my mom, something I often do when I have any distance to drive. My mother is an incredibly intuitive woman, and a prayer warrior. “Lisa, what’s going on?” were her first words when she recognized my number on her phone. I told her I was just feeling stressed and worried about money, but not to worry, that I knew God was going to take care of me. She said, “Let’s pray about it,” and she began praying aloud as I drove. She asked God to bless my work, to keep my doors and my heart open, and to prove Himself to me again. As she was finishing up, I noticed another call coming through and told her I thought it was from a man who had been thinking of hiring me. She quickly dropped off and I picked up John’s call. ‘John’ is a very successful businessman who had been in touch off and on over the last few months. He’d read everything I’d written online and in the local papers, he’d talked to other clients, and thoroughly checked me out. When I picked up the call John said, “Lisa, I’ve decided to pull the trigger. Let’s get started! I’ve sent you a payment on Paypal – hope that’s OK!” I told him it was definitely OK, except that we had never talked about what I charge – didn’t he want me to send an invoice or something? “Nope – I’m sure what I’ve sent will be enough to get started, but you let me know.”
When I got home I discovered that John had sent me 6 times what I normally charge. When I called him to tell him it was too much, he said, “No worries – I think we’re going to be working together for some time. Hang on to part of it as a retainer if you want.”

God had sent 6 colleagues to encourage my heart and tell me to spend $600 dollars on a speaker’s bureau – which I was able to do in the next 6 weeks. He sent me a new client, who paid me more than 6 times my regular rate. And if all that weren’t enough, the next morning I got a check in the mail from a former employer stock dividend in the amount of, 6 cents! It was as God was having a giggle, letting me know that He heard my prayer, that He had my back, that He was in the business of abundance.

Over the next few weeks and months, my business blossomed. God answered my prayer ‘exceedingly, abundantly, more than I could ever ask, think or imagine.’

The Parable of the 6 Dollars taught me that when you honor your call, when you take that leap of faith, to serve your clients and directees, when you fulfill your commitments and do the hard work necessary to create and maintain a business – God provides surprises, hope, and more than you will ever need.