When I originally saw the quote for this week’s In Other Words, I instinctively decided that it wasn’t a quote that I had a lot of insight about. I have been enormously blessed in my life and have experienced little of what this quote initially spoke to me about.

However, when I noticed that my longtime cyber friend MiPa was hosting this week I thought, oh I wish I had something to write about so I could honor her by participating. Still struggling, I decided to read what she had written. Something I don’t ordinarily do when participating in this particular meme because I don’t want my initial thoughts influenced by another’s interpretation. But I needed MiPa to speak to me today. And she did.

During the past five years I have made what I would call “radical” changes in my life. When opportunities present themselves to talk about these changes I find myself stating:

“If it wasn’t for _________ I wouldn’t be in this place of contentment.”

Depending upon the opportunity, I would fill in that blank with:

my husband

my therapist

my antidepressant

my age

I never ever filled in that blank with God when talking with others.

Yet, in my private moments, whether it be driving to class, walking around the neighborhood, or doing nothing in particular…I ALWAYS fill in that blank with God.

I have what I would call a “quiet faith”. Yet lately I have been feeling God nudging me.

Here are some “words” that He has placed into my daily readings:

Erin Keeley Marshall from The Daily God Book:

“Whom do you influence? Just by breathing and functioning in the world, you touch other lives. Besides friends and family, how about the grocery store checker? the postal worker? the furnace repairman? Your world is larger than you may imagine. Even if you don’t communicate with many people in one day, you surely cross paths with numerous individuals over a month or a year.

What impression do you leave on them? Does your smile and the atmosphere you bring into a room invite others to know God better? It doesn’t take much to give someone a taste of God’s love – a luxury that can be in short supply in the days of many.”

Marybeth Whalen’ The Power of the Word. (I highly recommend reading the whole devotion).  I read this just this morning and her prayer spoke volumes to me:

Dear Lord, please help me to remember that Your Word is powerful. Help me to speak it to others in my everyday life. Thank You for placing people around me who need to hear Your Word, and help me to be more aware of opportunities to share it. Please use Your Word in the lives of those I speak to and bring about change and renewal. I don’t want to take Your Word for granted. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

And I just recently read this in the Life Application portion of my Bible:

Who is my neighbor? Does my life-style – my work, my play, my buying habits, my giving – help or hurt people who have less than I do? What one thing could I do this week to help a helpless person?

During my “less” moments (to quote MiPa) and my “more” moments, God is always my strength and my refuge.

How selfish of me to not share this with those that are struggling with their “less” moments. God continues to nudge me to tell others:

“When you get to the end of your rope and there ain’t nothin’ you can do, that’s when God takes over.”

After all, Denver Moore had to have heard these powerful words from someone else before he believed them for himself.

By the way, the book Same Kind of Different as Me has been on my to be read list ever since Susan from Learning For Lifetime recommended it a few years back. I really must read it!!!

Thanks MiPa for hosting and for speaking to me today.

Also many thanks to Heather from An Untraditional Home for selflessly providing me this space in cyber space to “speak” what’s on my mind.

What can you do this week to help a “…….less” person?

Today’s In Other Words is hosted this week by Kathryn at Expectant Hearts. The quote that Kathryn has chosen is one that speaks of what I have always known:

Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message. ~ Malcolm Muggeridge ~

I have written many times where God’s Thumbprints have appeared all over my day. You can read about one of the most recent events in my post Pulling Back the Throttle. Other posts can be found here.

In my blogging career (copyrighted since 2006) I have had several weekly “themed” posts relating to listening to God through the events in our lives:

• God’s Thumbprints
• Tuned in Thursdays: Listening to God
• Thoughtful Reminders from God

Although two of the blogs where these posts first made their way into cyberspace have since been deleted I am beginning to believe that today’s quote is yet another of God’s Thumbprints.

As I browsed back through my old posts (yeppers, I have always printed off every post I have ever written…you never know when my fingers will get a little too “happy” or “sad” and hit the delete button) I began to realize the significant impact that “listening to God” and somehow miraculously “getting the message” has made in my life and those around me.

Such as:

• when things don’t go as I have choreographed them but turn out to be oh so much more lovely
• when I step out of my comfort zone without so much as a backward glance and I grow and learn more about God’s purpose for me
• finding myself at a destination that wasn’t part of the planned itinerary and experiencing the inspiration that a road less traveled can provide
• letting someone else make the “important” decisions
• knowing that there is a purpose behind another’s anger/hurt/disappointment whether it be directed at me or towards another

There are many more moments that can be added to this list. Here is one I wrote about August 24, 2006 – My very first post for my “A Thoughtful Reminder from God” column (it totally changed my perspective on teaching and my teaching style) :

My life is over run with post-it notes…they are on my bathroom mirror, my computer monitor, even my car visor…quick, easy reminders…reminders to pick up something from the market…reminders that I changed my password and where to find it…reminders to not forget to pick up Miss Sam from yet another after-school event. So I thought it would be rather fitting that I replace my “Tuned in Thursday: Listening to God” angels with “A Thoughtful Reminder From God” post-it note. What do you think??? Hope you enjoy walking with me as we get covered in the dust of Jesus…here goes…

One of my favorite expressions has always been “God works in mysterious ways”. Some days I feel this is true…other days I feel as though God has stepped right up and told me flat out what he is doing. Today was one of those days. But let me take you back a few days…

Women’s Bible Study…Monday Night (August 14)..we began the study Enjoy: A Thirst-Quenching Look at Philippians by Tianne Moon (an awesome study if anyone is searching). Many points were highlighted by me that evening…however one of the most compelling was this:

That our purpose (to glorify God in all things) impacts our perspective on the circumstances of our lives. That in any circumstance we are to live out our faith by the way we relate to one another…by standing firm, remembering our one purpose (to glorify God in all things), to stay united so that our unity catches the attention of others.

For those of you that participate in the Christian Women Online “In Other Words”, you know that the quotes of the past two weeks have been about these exact same topics…there He is…working in that mysterious way that only He has. I participated on both Tuesdays. However, this past Tuesday I hwas having a great deal of difficulty with the quote presented. I visited every participants blog on Tuesday…searching for what I may have missed…and found much more than I anticipated…there He is…working in that mysterious way that only He has.

I have been struggling with “letting my light shine”…I am a perfectionist. For someone like myself, I can’t let my light shine out into the rest of the world unless I have it polished to perfection…now, now, I know…I am not perfect…therefore my light is not perfect…therefore, I will remain under the “bushel” so to speak..until I get it right. The encouragement that I have been receiving from my blog neighbors and the women at CWO has been God’s way of saying…see, you don’t have to be perfect…we are standing firmly with you…we are united with you…we are just like you. I thank all of you, you cannot begin  to imagine the difference you are making in my life..and so…

These were the events that just “mysteriously” happened this week. The following is the “main” event where God just got in my face and said “this is that I want…what you say here, will let me know whether you have been listening or not”…

Every semester, on the second day of class, I have the class participate in what I call an “ice Breaker” activity. It allows members of the class to circulate and get to know their fellow classmates. Before we end class, I have several students pick from a small deck of index cards. These cards were filled out by them at the beginning of class. On the card is a question that they would like to have answered, by me, about me. Every semester the questions remain pretty much the same…”Are you married?”…”Do you have any children?”…”Why do you teach Psychology?”…etc….etc…except for today when God put His question on one of the cards.

Imagine my surprise when one of the students read this question from a card “What religion are you?”!!! Talk about up in your face, this is what God wants to know, and He wants to know it now…kind of event!!! Let my light shine!!!!

Oh, I know y’all are wondering about my answer…after all…this is a college classroom…what better place to let my light shine…to impact where God has placed me…to use these  circumstances to glorify Him…I answered as any Christian would..I am a Christian, and I would love to tell you about my faith…

God, he does work in mysterious..and not so mysterious ways.

Thanks Kathryn for today’s choice. It certainly has God’s Thumbprint on it. I believe it is time to bring back my weekly column: A Thoughtful Reminder From God.