With the daily hype of social media, entertainment and news, it is understandable to be swept up in the life stories of other people. What is he doing or she doing? And we take the lives of others and make them central to our conversations. All the while our own stories lay dormant, unheard and unshared.
What I hope to do is rattle you some to take notice of your own experiences and all the twists and turns you’ve been through. When you read my book Faith Lessons you will journey through the glorious nature of God, and learn about my own experiences where I had to choose faith or quit. Though, this is not to highlight my own stories over yours, but to encourage you to see the working of God in your life as well. To see Him in every corner and crack of it. And inspire you to embrace your healing or step into healing if still needed, and to have the courage to share with that friend, neighbor or community group just how faithful God has been (even when it was hard to notice in the moment). King David used music and poetry (the Psalms) to share matters of his heart and his story, the judge and prophetess Deborah used a song, the Apostle Paul was straight to the point in how he shared his life. There is no prescription for how, but it is important to just do; to know your story matters, to know God has never left you, and hand over after prayer to others what you have accomplished or overcame to point a arrow toward the Lord; and encourage someone to keep going.
Faith Lessons is my own act of bravery and my own flaming arrow pointing to Jesus and his grace, healing, and constant attentiveness to transform my life in heart; and even physically when there was no way. It wasn’t easy to do but necessary. And understanding sometimes we need nudges or help with sparking something out of us the Faith Lessons book will eventually have a Faith Lessons Journal Companion. The journal will take you through my own process of reflection with prompts to help you draw up from the deep areas within your memories and encourage your time with God.
If you are in the thick of something now, hang in there. Pray. Set your mind on the positive unseen and possible, know the Lord is your present help in trouble, your refuge and strength. Each new day is a victory. Hugs and love.