I love how intimately God is involved in our lives and how He astonishingly finds these sweet ways to remind us of His Presence. Even during a very overwhelming and stressful day, He LOVINGLY showed up! I called my husband all emotional, telling him that I needed to cut my trip to Nigeria short because of some situations going on in the US. He said, “Calm down, we’ll talk about this when I get home.” And since hubs had no time for my drama, I then went RUNNING to God reading my children’s devotional:

“King David called God his hiding place. When the king was in trouble or afraid, he “ran to God” (exactly me in that moment! LOL!) and told God what was going on. Since God is everywhere, David COULD STAY RIGHT WHERE HE WAS. All he needed to do was start talking to God.” – The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids

God is pretty amazing! He had that all lined up perfectly for me to read minutes after that conversation with my husband and getting those upsetting calls from the US – ‘NIKKI, STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.’ And I did exactly what the book suggested, I started talking to God as to what He would have me to do. The book continued, “Thank the Lord that he is bigger than the things that make you afraid. Thank the Lord that he is a safe place.” Amen.

I know this might sound too good to be true that God is that much interested in my life. But He is. Like today I needed help wrapping my mind around some stuff from the past, and He again shows up through the same kids devotional with the PERFECT ADVICE: FORGET. I call my self a professional ignorer, but after today, I want to be a professional FORGETTER.

“Remembering is an important part of learning, but sometimes it is best to forget. Wait. What? Paul said he practiced forgetting. He didn’t want to get so stuck on the good times or bad times that he missed what was happening in the moment. He didn’t want the past to keep him from moving forward toward his goal of serving Jesus Christ every day. Yes, it’s good to remember the past for memories and lessons, but don’t let the past rule what you do today…Ultimately, we want to look toward Jesus and his plans for our lives so that nothing can hold us back—especially the past.
Prayer: Lord, it’s hard to forget the past, whether it’s good or bad. But today is a gift from you that I want to enjoy and make the most of. Will you keep me in the present? – The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids”

Nobody’s perfect and we all should practicepractice being professional forgetters and enjoy people for who they are in the present, leaving the past in the past. Immediate and endless forgiving going the extra mile in love and support of each other. “And like my fav pajama reminds me, “BE HAPPY EVERYDAY.”

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“THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM GOD TO ME”

That was me to my fantastic son, Emmie, yesterday when I found a piece of paper where he amazingly wrote this:

“Preparation: Our Responsibility

Even in the most difficult battles, in the most ROUGH TERRAIN…the warrior who comes prepared will always defeat the enemy. Preparation is what it takes to succeed.”

I told him how I’ve been going through a lot lately (A ROUGH TERRAIN!) and how my runs every day with God are what mentally prepare me to manfully and bravely take on whatever hard battles that come my way. I’m reminded that I’m not going through life alone and that God Himself is always standing beside me.

Can you believe that less than 30 minutes later, God confirmed that this was indeed a message from Him? I had to peepee (TMI!), and I thought to see what God had to say to me in a 757-page devotional I keep in our bathroom, and this astonishingly showed up, written as if God was speaking directly to me:

“LEARN TO APPRECIATE difficult days. Be stimulated by the challenges you encounter along your way. As you journey through ROUGH TERRAIN (Wink! Wink!) with Me, gain confidence from your knowledge that together we can handle anything.” – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

No way that could just be an ordinary coincident for me to find those words “ROUGH TERRAIN” written on a piece of paper by my 12-year-old son and for the same “ROUGH TERRAIN” to show up in this huge devotional minutes later. It was indeed God revealing His invisible Presence wherever I go and His DEEP, DEEP love for me.

“what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”- Psalm 8:4

On the run today with Him, I enjoyed Justin Bieber’s song, Come Around Me, that says, “Let’s not miss out on each other. Let’s get it in expeditiously.” I feel that’s His message to all of us. Let’s not miss out on a life close to God. I don’t know about you, but I’m taking His hand like a little child crossing the street every moment of my life. Especially in the saddest and most difficult of times, as He finds these sweet ways of saying, “I am always with you.”

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Sorry I just disappeared on you guys, but I have alot going on right now. In this life we WILL have trouble, but this old post just reminded me that we can hold on to God’s hand to help us get through anything that life throws our way:

“HOW DO YOU MENTALLY DEAL WITH TOUGH SITUATIONS?”
Wow! That was the excellent question from a sweetie pie God has sent into my life! Here’s how:

God is my GREATEST FRIEND EVER! Anything I’m concerned about, He’s concerned about, let me tell ya. And He lovingly finds all sorts of ways to communicate with me (He’s quite talkative once you get to know Him!) Like yesterday, I was feeling seriously anxious about a situation, and when I finally went to Him to talk about it, I ended up balling crying like a little baby. This wink started from Sunday morning when I felt Him say this to me through my meditation book:

“When you were little you wanted someone to take your hand when you crossed the street. Ask me often to take your hand, because you are always little.” – He and I

I loved it so much, I immediately captioned it on this pic from the night before: God, Take Our Hands And Walk With Us. Amen.

Fast forward to the very next day, feeling so overwhelmed and anxious, I continued reading from where I had last left off in another meditation book:

“…My hand that never let’s go of yours.” Wink! Wink!

There I was in that moment saying God I need to hear from You, and He used that prayer of me asking Him to take hold of my hand like a little child crossing the street, and He sweetly says, ‘Nik, I never let your hand go.’ See the love I’m talking about! From one meditation book to a completely different one, He found a way to connect the two and remind me that His intimate Presence is always with me.

That’s what gives me a positive mindset to manly and bravely tackle whatever challenges come my way. I’m counting on God’s help! He continued speaking through Jesus Calling:

“Discuss everything with Me. Take a lighthearted view of trouble, seeing it as a challenge that you and I together can handle. Remember that I am on your side, and I have overcome the world.” Wink! Wink!

There is no situation too difficult for God! Do you have appointments with Him? See how I go from meditation book to meditation book, seeking His face, and He delightfully shows up as if saying, ‘I’m right here, Nik!’

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