My name is Daniel Smith, and I am a student here at Regent University. In a few short weeks, I will be opening my first business, a juice-bar named Island Fresh. Our focus is health and wellness, a Christ centered foundation located conveniently next-door to the Indian River YMCA. To give a bit of backstory, I was involved in a serious car accident 3 months ago. Following this, I was left without a car, hardly any money, as well as a ticket. I decided to give God the glory regardless of my situation leading to doors opening on my behalf. By choosing to rely on God amidst one my hardest battles, He has not only helped me with the situation, but He has guided me to places that were not on my horizon prior to surrendering to Him. By choosing to trust in God's plan instead of trying force pieces together of my own accord, He has shown me a small peek into the playbook He has for me. As difficult as it may be to believe, I did not have plans to open a business until after the car accident. I believe God let the accident happen to prod me towards His path. Sometimes we get so caught up trying to plan out our entire lives we forget the fact that God already has a plan. While His plans often require dedication and faith to see them through, they happen much easier than anything we can create with our own two hands. If I had never totaled my car, I wouldn't have a need to start making more money than I had at the time. I became comfortable in mediocrity. I became content with having just enough for my bills and few personal wants. God had to let my foundation shake for me to realize what I was heading towards. It is really easy to get caught up in day-today activities turning to months and sometimes years without walking the path that God has laid out before us.

That does not necessarily mean we are wrong for doing so, but saying that what He has in store for us dwarfs our ideas and ideals of success by a huge margin. We cannot compete with nor compare any of our ideas to what God can create in an instant. A single thought from the mind of the Lord can create what men live and die without ever seeing. There is no competition with the Lord. Trust in Him. From the lowest lows to the highest of heights He does not abandon any who call on his name.

You can find Island Fresh at 5660 Indian River Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23464.