SCATTER STORIES: Designed to Bring Beauty

Morgan's Story – Brand and Web Developer in North America

"I just really wanted to create beauty that made the world a better place," Morgan, a graphic designer, in the United States, says.  

For Morgan, her work is a way to share in God's kingdom flourishing. However, she did not always view her life in this way. It wasn't until Morgan attended college that she realized there was no reason to separate her passion for design from her desire to share God's love with others.  

"Jesus means so much to me, and I can't just separate those worlds. That wouldn't be authentic to who I am," she explains. 

That's why Morgan started working in graphic design, where she can combine her passion for design and her heart to participate in God's kingdom story. But it wasn’t until an internship opportunity where she first saw God's kingdom purpose in her work. 

Working with an anti-human trafficking organization, Morgan was able to design content to help women who were struggling in brothels by creating media resources. This experience sparked Morgan's heart for social justice issues and design, both working together. 

"I just came alive in that because it was more purposeful than just paying the bills, and just doing any sort of design work."  This is how God uniquely wired her. 

She felt like God was telling her, ”This is what I've built in you," she explains. This is her God-given S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart/passion, abilities, personality, and experiences). When Morgan was able to combine her God-given shape with her work, she came alive.

This was a game-changer in how she approached her work and her faith. Work and faith were no longer two different worlds. She began to see how graphic design could bring goodness, peace, and even beauty into the world. 

"My faith actually had a purpose. And it wasn't just to get me to heaven, but it was to help take other people with me." One of the ways she does that is by helping people experience God through her work as a graphic designer.   

This is why Morgan started her own brand and web design company, Thuro Design, to bring beauty to her community. Thuro Design is strategy-led, heart-centered, and value-driven – offering brands with redemptive missions the partnership and beautiful design they need to further empower their customers. 

Morgan's goal is to help her clients share their company's goals and mission with others so they may tangibly impact the communities around them by bringing beauty, justice, and goodness into the world. Her company does this by reflecting Jesus in the companies they partner with and in the stories they tell through design.  

"This really makes my heart come alive whenever there are projects that I'm passionate about, and the people that these organizations or businesses are actually impacting in the world," she says. 

Recently, Morgan partnered with a new client running a coffee company. This coffee shop is in Thailand, an area of the world where sex trafficking is high. The company was able to transform the land into a coffee farm so they could offer a path for people who were once a part of a destructive industry into a flourishing one. 

It is not only through big jobs, like the coffee shop, but everyday tasks that Morgan sees that her skillset is used by God. Before starting a new project Morgan asks herself "Am I in this for impacting God's kingdom?"  

In the midst of everyday busyness, Morgan takes time to pray through every project and for employers and potential clients. For Morgan, prayer is an essential step away from the busyness of every day, that allows God to speak into her to-do list.  

More than just her to-do list, Morgan wants to see God's kingdom brought into every area of life. She recognizes that God has uniquely shaped her and given her the abilities to bring Jesus into her industry. She believes the world needs what she has to offer.  

"Not being afraid to be bold about what you believe (is important) because the world needs that message," she states.  

And the world needs what you have too. 

So how can you bring kingdom flourishing to every area of your life? For Morgan, that looks like living a life of integrity and treating clients in a way that demonstrates who God is. It's finding opportunities to share God's kingdom flourishing with others.  

"The whole thing of just living a life on mission doesn't necessarily stop or end at work," Morgan says.  It's about blessing the people in our community in a tangible way, she explains. 

Whether that's helping a neighbor, talking to the person in your local grocery store, or sharing a meal with a friend – you can make a kingdom impact in the community around you.  

If you're seeking to bring kingdom flourishing to your community, then Morgan's words of advice is to pay attention to the things that are most important to you and allow God to guide your steps. Finding the place where your passions and abilities meet will open up opportunities to encourage, bless, and reflect the hope of Jesus to the neighbor next door, the coworker across the hall, and the world around you.  

How can you bring kingdom flourishing to your community right now?  

To learn more about what it looks like to make a kingdom impact right where you are, check out our Scatter Foundations Video Series to learn more or signup for our Scatter Email.

Scatter Stories is a monthly series highlighting how God is using everyday people in everyday jobs to make a kingdom impact around the world.