Friday Features: Guests #4- Evan and Kiley Miranda

Hello!  Our names are Evan and Kiley Miranda.  We are the owners of a small thrifting account called Beloved + Curated.  In the past year we felt the Lord calling us to better reach the community that we are living in.  In response to those proddings, we started Beloved + Curated.  We sell secondhand clothing, accessories, household items and other treasures, and pour the proceeds that we make directly back into the community that we live in.  The Lord has been able to use the generosity of people’s purchases and donations to greatly bless families in our community.  We have been honored to be a part of this project, and we can’t wait to see how the ministry expands–we each love this little ministry with our whole heart!  We think the art of thrifting is a beautiful reminder of our Creator and the way that he carefully and lovingly picks us out of the mess and makes us new once more.  

In this season of starting a business and ministry alongside our full time jobs and the other responsibilities of life, there have been times when the big picture has been overwhelming.  The quote “Do small things in great love” is the perfect reminder to keep you on track when life is daunting and the call that the Lord has placed on your life seems unattainable.  We do not need to fulfill God’s calling in one day, one week, or even one year.  God calls us to love others well, and that can be done in each and every small moment of every day.  If we focus on loving greatly with each step that we take, the Lord is going to plant seeds and move mountains through our actions.  When the road forward seems long, it is best to look down to just the journey one step at a time.  

Starting our account was our first leap of faith into the unknown.  Since then, we have seen how our hearts have been opened even more to follow where the Lord is leading.  We have recently decided to move into the downtown of our community where we feel we will have the opportunity to reach people in new ways while we continue to run our account.  We are so excited to see what the future holds, as we continue to say “yes” to God’s plan.  

Recently the prayer that has been on our hearts and lips has been “Even if…”  This comes from a verse in Daniel when Daniel and his companions are faced with the decision to bow to the idol Nebecanezzer has erected, or be thrown into the fiery furnace.  When faced with this worldly peril, Daniel responds with absolute faith and purity. “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3: 17-18

We so desire to live such faithful lives that when we are faced with earthly struggles, we can respond how Daniel did: with complete confidence in the Lord and his plan.  We are not promised easy lives, in fact, the Bible tells us that we will indeed face many struggles.  But if we are able to face those with an eternal focus, and a complete reliance upon God, how joyous our lives are going to be!  May you be filled with hope for, “Even if…”, God is still good.  

xoxo,

Evan + Kiley