Another Throwback to the Recession Days:

When my husband and I first learned the principles of prosperity and began intentionally applying them, the results were dramatic—we tripled our income in just three months. But that initial surge of “good fortune” didn’t last forever.

Eager to be smart with our newfound abundance, we anxiously poured it into a series of investments—many of which turned out to be the wrong ones. In our haste and inexperience, we made poor choices and quickly found ourselves in over our heads.

To make matters worse, we had unknowingly gotten involved with businesspeople who later disappeared… or went to jail. That’s how fast a fortune can disappear—even when your intentions are good.

The fallout left us with a massive mess to clean up. But we weren’t too worried—we understood the principles that had brought us success before. So naturally, we figured we could just apply them again and turn everything around.

Or so we thought.

What we came to learn was that sometimes the consequences of past decisions can’t be undone in an instant. Even when you're facing the right direction, turning things around can be more like steering a cruise ship than flipping a switch. You can set the course, but the shift takes time to show.

We had mistakenly believed we could “think right” our way out of bad choices, as if that alone could turn them into good ones. While it’s true that every adversity contains the seed of equal or greater benefit, that doesn't mean the adversity simply vanishes. It means there’s something to be gained from it—but that growth may take time.

So, in a determined push to create another big breakthrough, I focused on manifesting another windfall. I’d done it before—more than once. We’d used these principles in the past to bring in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars quickly. That’s what I was aiming for.

But this time, something was different. The same mental discipline, visualization, and goal-setting strategies didn’t work like they had before. It felt like something was blocking the blessing. The formula wasn’t clicking.

Eventually, out of sheer exhaustion, I stopped trying so hard. I surrendered. I chose to make peace with our situation as it was. I refocused on my family and the little things I could control, especially since I no longer felt like I had any influence over our finances.

That’s when the next big insight came—during a Sunday School class. We were discussing a story from over 2,000 years ago, comparing two groups of people:

The first was led by Alma, a man of God. He and his people were diligent, obedient, and faithful.
The second was led by Limhi, whose people leaned a little too much on their own strength. Both groups were under the rule of the same oppressive government.

When an army came to destroy Alma’s people, God warned them ahead of time and they escaped. But Limhi’s people weren’t warned. They tried three times to free themselves—and failed each time. Only after reassessing their approach did they begin to rely more fully on God.

The record then says:

"...the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of [their oppressors] that they began to ease their burdens; ...The Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage [yet]... they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger."

That phrase—“the Lord did not see fit to deliver them”, but allowed them to “prosper by degrees”—was my answer.

I realized I had been expecting a big, miraculous rescue—and anything less felt like failure. I had assumed I was living in obedience, but I could see now where I could do better.

I felt God was trying to teach me something simple but profound: Don’t run faster than you have strength. I had been burning myself out chasing breakthroughs and missing the wisdom of pacing myself in a sustainable way.

So I slowed down and began to envision Him opening doors and preparing the way for long-term success. I lost interest in anything that promised big, quick bucks, because we had already experienced that kind of success. Instead, I became increasingly interested in principles that would allow us to rebuild on a more solid, long-lasting foundation.

We got back to basics: smart choices, daily sacrifices, mindful spending. And we looked for signs that we were prospering by degrees.

We started noticing—and celebrating—every small win. I stopped mourning the absence of a windfall and began appreciating every simple blessing. The growth has been steady and sustainable. Every day, a little more is added upon.

So if you ever find yourself waiting for a miracle and it doesn’t seem to come—look for signs that you’re prospering by degrees.

It’s been humbling, but I’m grateful. We’re wiser now, and our future looks stronger because of what we’ve learned. Our family is also much happier—because I’m finally living at a pace I can maintain.

Read: The Unexpected Cure for Doubt

There’s time to build your life the right way. Time to build your business, your family, and your relationships with care. Chasing shortcuts can become an addiction. But when you slow down and live prayerfully—receptive to God’s timing—you realize there is no greater shortcut than His guidance.

And when that guidance says, “RUN!” — then by golly, you'd better run!

But more often than not, He’s just inviting you to stop. Breathe. Sharpen the saw. Reconnect with Him—and let the steady, quiet miracle unfold.

Read more details about our experience here. And as always, I appreciate your comments!

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