Sometimes we choose a name for something and only later realize the meaning runs deeper than we intended.

When I created the name Merchant Ship Collective, I thought I was simply making a play on words around entrepreneurship.

I liked the imagery.

Merchants create value.
Ships move goods across oceans.
Collectives bring people together.

To me, it represented people bringing ideas, knowledge, and opportunity into the world in ways that help others.

At the time, I wasn’t consciously thinking about scripture or any deeper meaning behind the name.

But one day, while scrolling through Facebook, a Bible verse popped up in my feed and immediately caught my attention.

The phrase merchant ships was already there.

And it wasn’t describing trade or business.

It was describing a woman.

That moment made me pause.

Sometimes God works in ways we don’t expect.

Sometimes a verse appears at exactly the right time.

Sometimes connections reveal themselves long after the work has already begun.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if God was guiding parts of this journey before I consciously saw it myself.

At the moment the Merchant Ship may be small, but every fleet begins with a single vessel willing to leave the harbor.

Merchant Ship Collective didn’t start as one clear vision.

It started with questions.

Questions about systems, community, work, and how we create meaningful change.

Those questions led me to write my first newsletter:

The Education Catalyst.

The goal of that newsletter was to examine education honestly and talk about ways we could improve outcomes for students, teachers, and communities.

Even then, I believe God was already shaping something larger than I could see at the time.

Over time another realization began to grow.

Education alone doesn’t solve everything.

Opportunity matters too.

Economic freedom matters.

That realization led to the second newsletter:

The Launch Dock.

The Launch Dock explored entrepreneurship and the courage it takes to build something from nothing. It focused on the idea that sometimes the best way to create opportunity is simply to create it yourself.

But as those newsletters developed, I kept feeling like something deeper was still missing.

Beneath education and work there is another layer that shapes everything.

That layer is faith, purpose, and personal transformation.

And that realization eventually led to the third newsletter:

Light the Way.

Looking back, the path feels clearer.

Education.
Work.
Faith.

Mind.
Action.
Spirit.

What once felt like separate ideas now feels like a journey that God may have been guiding all along.

And all of it now lives under the umbrella of Merchant Ship Collective.

Sometimes when people talk about the Proverbs 31 woman, they imagine someone quiet or passive.

But if you read the passage carefully, you see something very different.

She invests.

She creates value.

She teaches others.

And then comes the line that stopped me when I reread it.

Merchant ships travel great distances.

They carry resources.

They weather storms.

They connect people who would otherwise never meet.

In many ways, this image reflects the role many women play in families and communities.

We carry things.

Love.
Wisdom.
Opportunity.
Encouragement.
Stability.

And sometimes God places ideas and responsibilities into our lives that allow us to carry those things farther than we ever imagined.

For a long time, I felt like I had to shrink parts of myself.

Too ambitious.
Too outspoken.
Too determined.

Too afraid of my past.
Too afraid of failure.
Too afraid of what family and friends might think.

Fear has a way of convincing us to stay small.

To stay quiet.

To avoid stepping into the work we feel called to do.

But the closer I’ve grown in my relationship with God, the more I’ve realized something important.

God didn’t create women to hide their strength.

He created women to use it with wisdom.

That doesn’t mean perfection.

It means growth.

It means learning from mistakes and continuing to become better people.

And it means trusting that God can use every part of our story — even the imperfect parts — for something meaningful.

I’m not perfect.

I’ve made mistakes and had seasons where I felt uncertain about the path ahead.

But strengthening my relationship with God has changed the way I see my life.

Not through perfection.

Through reflection.
Through humility.
Through honest conversations.

There is something incredibly freeing about realizing you don’t have to control everything.

You don’t have to have every step of the future planned out.

Because sometimes God’s planning leads to a life you could have never imagined on your very best day.

Looking back, I can see moments where doors opened unexpectedly.

Ideas appeared that I didn’t fully understand yet.

Paths formed that I never would have drawn for myself.

And because of that, I want to give credit where it belongs.

Not to luck.

Not to my own ability.

But to God.

I want to be honest about something.

Merchant Ship Collective is still growing.

Right now, it isn’t profitable.

But the truth is something deeper than that.

Merchant Ship Collective has already brought immense value into my own life.

It has helped me learn.

It has helped me connect ideas across education, entrepreneurship, faith, and community.

It has helped me grow as a woman, a mother, and a person trying to walk closer with God.

I am still growing, learning, and trusting the process.

I’m proud of what I have created and the impact it has already had.

Right now, Merchant Ship Collective is simply me sharing ideas and reflections. But I believe that over time it will grow to include others who feel called to contribute as well, because the vision was always meant to be a collective.

And I look forward to the future — to new projects, new ideas, and new ventures that may grow from this work.

My hope is that through faith, humility, and honest conversations, Merchant Ship Collective will grow into something larger than just a newsletter.

A place where people share ideas.

Where people support one another.

Where people grow together.

And I don’t worry about the future.

Because I trust something deeply.

Nothing meant for me will miss me.

I am a woman created with purpose.

My voice and ideas have value.

God is guiding my path even when I cannot see the full journey.

I will not be ashamed of the strength God placed within me.

My growth is part of a larger purpose.

I carry wisdom, kindness, and opportunity wherever I go.

Lord,

Thank you for guiding my life even when I could not see where the path was leading.

Help me continue growing into the woman you created me to be as a mother, sister, friend, and member of my community.

Strengthen my faith so that I lead with humility, wisdom, and kindness.

Guide the work of Merchant Ship Collective so that it reflects truth and encourages others to grow.

Help me trust that the seeds being planted today will grow in the way you intend.

Amen.

Take a moment this week to reflect on what you are carrying into the world.

Your ideas.
Your kindness.
Your wisdom.
Your work.

You may be doing more good than you realize.

And if this message resonated with you, consider sharing Light the Way with someone who might need encouragement today.

Sometimes we think we are simply building something small.

A newsletter.
An idea.
A conversation.

But sometimes God is quietly building something much larger through us.

Maybe the purpose was never just to build a ship.

Maybe it was to launch a fleet.

In faith and gratitude,

Lyndsay LaBrier
Merchant Ship Collective
Light the Way