Devotions

Showing posts with label divine appointment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label divine appointment. Show all posts

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Nudge or Shove?

Do you ever hear a still, small voice that nudges you to act? 

A very talented college student I know was suffering with an untreatable brain malady. The crippling pain  frequently confined her to a hospital bed at home.  She had to put her dreams of graduation and medical school on hold. I suspected she, and her mother, were battling fear and anxiety. 

For several months I ignored the recurring thought that I needed to call. I was ashamed of myself, and cowardly put it off again. 

When I finally spoke to the mother she was grateful. I apologized for my  delay. She repeatedly  said that the call came at just the time she most needed to share the burden with someone else. I  was humbled to realize my call was more than a polite token. For her, it was significant encouragement.  

Another friend told me that she was prompted to visit an ailing member of her church. She delayed, and he passed away. She was sorry that she'd missed the opportunity to give him a big final hug. 

She took a walk on the beach to think through her remorse. She said she recognized the nudge had come from God, and she asked him to boost the nudge to a shove next time. She was really upset by her failure to act. 

Then she found a whole sand dollar. For Christians the sand dollar is a symbol of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. The ultimate message of His ministry is forgiveness. It was appropriate that she came upon a reminder of His continued work in her life. Now she has an object that reminds her of the lesson she learned: listen and act. 



Have you acted, and been blessed by the result? Conversely, have you ignored the prompt and regretted it? 

 Don't delay to make what could be a divine appointment.