Heartbreak to Strength Blog

I was in tears.  Some days are harder than others when your world gets flipped upside down.

Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by my new circumstances, I just wanted to crawl back into bed.   I still remember my phone buzzing at the exact time of my emotional melt down.  It was a friend checking in on me. Her words brought encouragement and support at a time that I needed them most. 

Her call was the answer to my prayer.

Has God ever placed someone’s name on your heart?   You knew that He wanted you to reach out to this person and let them know you were thinking of them.   Sometimes that looks like an encouraging text and other times it involves a meaningful phone call. 

This is the power of a nudge.  A nudge from the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit Nudge you?

This has happened to me before. Sometimes I am the one nudged. Sometimes I am the one receiving the call or text from a person that felt the Holy Spirit’s nudge. Either way, these divine appointments are fascinating to me.

This week on my podcast, Gwen and Mark Brague share their story of how God restored their marriage.  One of the most powerful parts of their testimony happens because their counselor felt a nudge.  Gwen shares about how her phone call and encouraging words change the trajectory of their marriage.

Friends, I want to be used by the Holy Spirit in these miraculous ways.  Do you?

I want to listen for the nudge, respond to it, and help another hurting heart.  I think this requires not only our obedience, but our full surrender to live daily connected to God. 

If I am honest, some days, I wake up and start my day without first connecting with my Creator.  Those days, I probably miss some divine appointments.

I want to encourage you today to stop and spend time with God. Open your Bible, get into the Word of God, so that you are ready for whatever He has planned for you today.  Perhaps, you are the answer to someone else’s prayer.

Praying today we will listen for the nudge.

Love, Jodi

Note: If you have not listened to my podcast with Gwen and Mark’s powerful story of how God redeemed their marriage, then I highly recommend you check it out. Their testimony is inspiring.

To listen, click on the link below: https://link.chtbl.com/vZzTid7o

I love this new idea.

Thank you to Suzie Eller, Holley Gerth and Jennifer Watson for sharing about it on their podcast last week.  As I listened to More Than Small Talk, these ladies encouraged me and their other listeners to pick an “un-word” for the year. 

An “un-word” is a word you would like to eliminate from your life this year.

I think this is a brilliant idea.  I always pick a word for the year to focus on, but I never thought about picking a word to purposely “not focus” on.   

As soon as they shared this idea, I knew what my “un-word” would be.  As a fellow 1 on the enneagram, I struggle with saying, “I should have done this or I should have done that.”   I don’t want to continue to beat myself up in my head with this word, “Should” anymore. 

“Should” is going to be my “un-word” for the year.

I think this word is a common struggle for people.  On the podcast episode, Holley Gerth talks about the “Should Synonyms” like “I need to, I have to, and I ought to”.  Friends, these are common things I say too.  Can you relate?

What if we could remove these words and negative thoughts from our minds so we could live with more freedom?

So today, I want you to think about your “un-word.”  What is one word that you want to eliminate from your life this year?  Please share it in the comments below.  I think there is power in sharing.

Lastly, I encourage you to listen to this “un-word” episode (#57) on the More than Small Talk podcast.  I really found it helpful and encouraging.  I know you will too.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-un-word-for-the-year-episode-57/id1447539391?i=1000461988239

Praying for you today that God will help reveal to you a word to focus on for 2020, but also a word for you to eliminate and bring you more freedom in Christ. 

Love, Jodi