I think looking back on my life is one of my favorite ways to see God’s hands in everything that I have lived through. I have been an avid journaler since probably 2008. I would have been in the eighth grade at this point, but even then I can clearly see a very young and immature but budding relationship with the Lord. My entries from back then are nowhere near what I currently write, however it is still so cool to me that I can look back and see what I was praying for at such a young age.
On days when I am not feeling the best or am struggling, I like to look back on where I was a year ago or even a few years ago and it is always so powerful to see the evolution of my character and how God has never failed me. Through every trauma and heartbreak, He is my stronghold. He protects and provides for me like none other. I have learned over the last few years exactly what it means to understand that He will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good.
I am confident that without my wounds from my eating disorder and rape, that I would be on an entirely different career path and maybe even living in a different state. I am grateful that through all the heartache that I could still hear His whisper. I knew then that I was not alone, and I know that now as I walk through each and every day. You are never alone when you have Jesus in your heart. He will never leave you. He will always go before you. He will lead you, but you have to open your ears to hear His voice.
If you caught last week’s post (Let God Lead You), you might understand a little better how I know God has led me to pursue my own business as a female entrepreneur and health coach. Let me just say, it has not all been easy and I have absolutely doubted myself, but each day as I practice obedience and lean into what I am called to do, I have more joy and more peace than I have ever experienced in my life.
The first time I remember hearing His whisper was when I decided to get my personal training certification. I had been lifting for about 9 months at this point and knew how much I loved and appreciated both the science and the art of lifting. I wanted to do it right and do it well so that I could train optimally for myself. I also knew how much lifting radically changed my life. I began to care less about weight loss and more about getting stronger. I wanted to feel empowered and on top of the world. The more I started to feel this way and the more I started to heal, the more I wanted to help other people experience the same thing. How freeing it is to find a form of exercise that lights your soul on fire.
As a result of obtaining my personal training certification, I knew that my next step was to pursue graduate school for my masters degree in exercise physiology. God whispered yet again when He confirmed that I would be moving to Charlotte to pursue this dream that I suddenly could not stop thinking about.
During grad school came the second time that I heard His whisper, which was when one of my best friends came to me for help with her health and wellness journey. She was the first client I served online and through every encounter that I had with her, it was very clear that God brought us together for a purpose. Every time we would talk we both knew that God was with us. Each time that I witnessed a breakthrough in her journey, it warmed my heart and I knew that I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing for my job every day. I will be forever thankful for this beautiful woman who trusted me with her health journey and for God who reconnected us at a time when we both needed each other the most, even though we might not have realized it then.
The third time I heard God whisper at me was actually when I was doubting myself. I was in the sauna one day after a workout when two women were talking about their journey trying to conceive. They said there was so much that they wished they knew about their own bodies and all that it takes to have a healthy system to create life. God told me to kindly interrupt them and we spoke for nearly twenty minutes about women’s health and all of the frustrations they were experiencing. It was the most powerful conversation I have ever had with a stranger.
Each of those whispers are just a few of the catalysts in this journey and I am sure there are more along the way. I am just so grateful to hear God’s whisper and for how much I have learned to listen for His voice. What I know is this: He will lead you and guide you if you ask Him to, and you must be alert and ready to hear His call and then move. Once you hear His whisper, you must follow through in obedience in order to figure out the next step. Where God guides, He provides. When you start to expect His presence, you can see His hands in every aspect of your life.
Where is God calling you to listen today?
Wellness is waiting.