Courage and Croissants 🥐

Courage is defined as "the ability to do something that frightens one" (Google, n.d.).

In 2021, I had every intention in starting my food blog. I had won a photoshoot and had a logo created with the intention that I was finally going to launch the blog. For my birthday, two of my friends (Gia and KeShaun) purchased my domain for my website. I began building the website, but fear took over the driver's seat. I never launched the site, but continued to post every now and then on my baking instagram page.

Most of 2021 was rough and I lost my desire to bake. I didn't bake again until mid-2022. Fast-forward to the beginning of this year (2023), I got a random email saying that my baking instagram could not be connected to my website. During this time, I was fasting and was off social media. I thought I was being hacked, so I just changed my passwords. After some thought, I logged in to my hosting site. The website that I had started building was all there. Built, branded, and nearly done. I scrolled from page to page remembering the vision I once had and tears flooded my eyes. My heart broke knowing that I allowed fear and life's circumstances to separate me from something I really wanted to do.

I asked God what I was supposed to do (because it was obviously a sign). I knew I couldn't put off launching this site another year and that scared me once again. After praying, May 9th was the day that popped into my mind, so I knew that was "the" date. Truthfully, I'm still dragging my feet. However, I know that my desire to obey has to surrender to the fear of putting myself out there. So, I'm activating my faith and walking on this journey with courage. One thing I know for sure is that God would never have me do anything that He didn't have plans and provision for.

This moment of courage reminds me of the first time I made croissants after my baking course in Paris. Making croissants is hard. The process is time-consuming and delicate. Rolling the dough too thick or the butter melting can easily create a total disaster. I wasn't sure how they'd turn out, but I was brave enough to see it through. The first batch of croissants were horrific now that I think about it. Whenever I look back at the pictures of that batch, I literally cringe! I decided to embark on another three-day adventure to improve my croissants the same day. I knew I could make a better batch of croissants with a few tweaks. On day three, I had beautiful croissants that were better than the first batch. If I gave up or never tried, I wouldn't have succeeded.

Caption: Second batch of croissants!

Much like my croissant testing, I may not get everything right with Brown Avenue Kitchen. I may have to change my strategy, tweak my style of content, etc. However, I know if I never try, I'll never uncover the opportunities that lie ahead.

My favorite verse this season is Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and courageous, do not fear, do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." It's timely for this exact moment.

So, join me on this journey of courage and croissants (and a whole bunch of other baked goods) as I align myself with the plans God has for me. I encourage you to do the same. Take that first step to do the thing you've been procrastinating on or walked away from due to fear. God's got us.

Thanks for reading. Until next time y'all...

-K.