A Sample of My Devotional
Many of you have been asking about the Christian devotional I am in the process of writing. This was something God (not so subtly) put on my heart. I had a particularly hard week this summer, just wasn’t feeling it (whatever it is!) My church life had taken a backseat to a busy summer schedule and I just felt a disconnect from God. Don’t panic folks...this all sounds very dramatic, but it was so worth it, I promise. In those few days I was just in a good space for God to meet me. Feeling down, even when it appeared on the outside that everything was fine. It’s in those low moments that God tends to meet us, right?
So I prayed, fiercely prayed for guidance and direction and that’s where God met me. He started guiding me on this journey with gentle nudges to meet with people, talk with people, read, journal and of course...write. The nudge to write was actually not so gentle, it was dropped on me like a bomb by my friend Liz Nead (check her out on social media or liznead.com, she rocks!). It just clicked for me, instantly, I knew it was what I wanted to do and had to do. Speak truth through my words.
I have a long way to go with this devotional, but it has been such an amazing faith journey. Diving into His word and letting Him guide me to write what He needs me to say to live out my God-given purpose. With that said, I’d like to occasionally give you a preview into my book. Please keep in mind, these are rough versions, I will just copy and paste the words from my google doc into a blog post. Very raw.
Each devotion is intended to ask questions, to guide you to search your soul to answer them. Each title is a question and ends with an activity/question to reflect on and bible verses to dig deeper. So I invite you to do just that! Here we go (as I type with sweaty palms)!
When Have You Made a Moment?
Life moves fast. In the blink of an eye, the day is over. The week is over. The year is over. And it feels like the older you get, the faster life passes by. You never hear a child say, it’s Christmas already? But you consistently hear adults say, how is it Christmas already (maybe it’s because the stores have Christmas decorations out mid-July, but that’s a conversation for another time). How do you slow life down? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that question but if you find out, let me know! What I can help you with is some advice for your journey. Make a moment. Make a million moments. But start with one.
What exactly do I mean by this? In your daily life you have so many opportunities to create moments that just pass you by. Distractions, devices, work...so many things to take your eye off the prize. God wants you to be present in the moment. To spend time with the people you love and make a moment. It can be as simple as a hug held a little longer than usual. A second game of Go Fish. Surprising your child at school for lunch. Not all moments are cherished forever, not all moments are happy, not all moments are worth remembering, but you can make some that are.
God is with you in every moment of your life. He is willing and wanting to make a moment with you, too. If you let Him in, your life will be full of moments with your Heavenly Father. I had a moment with God that shifted my trajectory in my career. I was driving in my car, praying about my current path, if it was the right one, was I wasting my time? How would I get a book published, who am I to even be writing? And then I posed the question, should I start a blog for more visibility? And just then, God and I had a moment, a huge moment. I was filled with the Holy Spirit and brought to tears (happy tears!) At that moment, the pieces started to come together and I could see my vision. Things keep falling into place, but I needed to have that moment with God to take the next step. Have you and God had a moment lately?
Make a moment today, make a hundred moments today. Make a moment with God, too. Pray and listen. At the end of the day write a few of your moments below.
Digging deeper: Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, Ephesians 5:15-16
posted by Neko @ December 02, 2017
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I had a moment today. I was becoming very overwhelmed at work. It seemed like whenever I was “caught up” I had another patient calling me for something else. I was becoming frustrated and was finding it harder to keep the smile I try so hard to keep on my face whenever I enter a patients room. This patient called me into his room and wanted to tell me about a verse he planned on adding to his funeral plans. I thought to myself, “How depressing to be sitting here with this wonderful man, talking about his future funeral”, but then I thought twice when he asked if he could read the verse with me. He told me he was adding Galatians chapter 5, but couldn’t decide for sure on the specifics. He was on the phone with his wife, (who was at home), viscously trying to flip through the pages of his bible to find out exactly which part he had highlighted. I think he finally had decided on Galatians 5:1-16. The thirteenth and fourteenth verse stuck out to me. “Everything exposed to the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said, “Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you””. It wasn’t just me that had a moment today. I had a Me and God moment. And after reading through your devotional, I think He may be drawing me back into our relationship. I’m so grateful. I had TWO Me and God moments today.
Hannah, this is awesome!! Isn't it funny how God works and where he will show up? When you are feeling weak - that's where He will meet you. Lean into it. Pray about it and ask for guidance and direction for your next steps with Him. Love the passage you referenced (Ephesians). So much truth. My study bible says, We need the same sense of urgency because our days are also difficult. We must keep our standards high, act wisely and do good whenever we can. Love! Love! Love! Thanks for sharing :-)
Yes. Ephesians! I posted that reply late after working a 12 hour shift! I don’t ever believe that it’s a coincidence when I find Him showing up in my life. Sometimes it’s more subtle and sometimes it’s not (like yesterday). Sometimes it’s a nudge and sometimes it’s a hard stop, forcing me to truly lean into it. Thank you for blogging! I loved this!
Love, love, love your blog Neko and the conversations it's sparking. Thanks for sharing your "moments" Hannah! I do not believe in coincidence; everything (good and bad) happens for a reason...even though we may never know the reason in our earthly lives. Praise be to God for always being there for us, waiting for us to turn to Him, and for using us to draw others closer to Him.
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