Our History Leaves Clues to our Destiny

I was finally able to watch my daughter’s Warrior's Mindset Training that she provided Sunday night from Jackson, Mississippi. I had a ring-side seat on the motorcoach -- watching her put together that training. We were enroute back to Texas from Georgia, and it was time for her usual Sunday night LIVE time on FB for her mindset training.

Earlier in the afternoon, we had stopped at beautiful Dunns Falls to have a little breather and enjoy nature. The 65-foot waterfall was once used as a power source for a gristmill AND the manufacture of Stetson hats.

Stetson hats? At Dunns Falls? I thought "nice detour". Oh, but Staci was on purpose -- beyond the adventure. I saw her and Denise -- researching all that. Denise was reading James Stetson’s story to Staci. I had no idea what they were doing. It didn’t click with me. I was focused on my own blog for the day.

As I watched her mindset training, the reason for these stopovers and studying the history of that area, became abundantly clear. This girl was on a mission. I got it. I got what all that strategic planning and orchestration of the stopovers was all about. She was on purpose with a message, and she wanted to pour her heart out to us so that we would get it.

The underlying message was “Don’t let your history define you. Only use your history to propel you to where God has destined you and wants you to be." She talked about how she had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby and how we didn’t let that disease define her. We opposed it with everything we had in us and gave it to God and let Him take over. Today, she’s a spokesperson, leader, trainer, singer – completely the opposite of what the enemy wanted to do in her. Then she told James B. Stetson’s story.

"If there was one thing John B. Stetson hated, it was the patter of raindrops on his head. He knew the rain and East coast cold weather would make his tuberculosis worse. In 1859, on doctor’s advice, the 24 year-old John B. moved out West.

By the 1860’s, John B. was panning for gold in Colorado but found the rugged life made him sicker. When he was trapped in the mountains and threatened by sudden rainstorms and howling winds, ordinary clothing didn't keep him warm and dry. He knew he had to act fast to protect himself or die " so he hurled himself into the task. He noticed how beavers’ pelts repelled water in streams, so he trapped a few and created a thick fur felt that he used to make a tent, which kept him warm and dry.

John B., who came from a family of Hat makers, then decided to try using the fur felt for a Hat. His father, who taught John B. how to make felt in the first place, also taught him that a big air pocket between the top of the head and the Hat s crown created a cushion of warm air that kept the head warm. Outdoor western living taught him that a Hat had to have a wide brim to keep out the elements. It also taught him that hauling water was vital on the frontier, so he made the inside lining of his Hat waterproof. This meant it could double as a water bucket if needed. (That’s how Stetson Hats got nicknamed the "10 gallon" Hats.) John B. pulled all these elements together in his design. The finished product had an unusual 6-inch high crown and a 7-inch brim. The first famous Stetson Hat had been born.

By 1886, Stetson owned the world’s largest Hat factory in Philadelphia and employed nearly 4,000 workers. The factory was putting out about 2 million Hats a year by 1906. He was also among the first U.S. tycoons to offer benefits to reward workers for hard work. He dispensed free health care to employees and gave shares in his company to valued workers. As a philanthropist, he founded Stetson University in Deland, Florida, and built a Philadelphia hospital.

In Staci's story and in Stetson's story -- they had to overcome incredible obstacles and adversities, but those were what propelled them to their places of destiny and purpose. Where the enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy, God is already moving heaven and earth -- setting us up for huge comebacks. As I said earlier, history doesn't define us, but it can be the driving force that propels us to people, places and opportunities that can only come because of the setbacks.

Maybe this post today is to remind you where you came from and encourage you to pull from that past and use it to bring about those dreams and visions you have for your life. In the words of Paul Harvey....."and now you know the rest of the story."

Check out Staci's full Warrior Mindset Training video here:
https://www.facebook.com/staciwallaceofficial/