My heart is overflowing with joy today to celebrate God’s faithfulness and goodness with this being hopetoinspireyou.com’s 500th reflection! I am in total awe of being God’s beloved daughter, whom He has provided with weekly inspiration to share about Him in the ordinary of life throughout the last ten years plus.
It was an “only God moment” to see this thought that is perfect for today as I reflect on this grand adventure God has orchestrated:
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. –Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
It is beautiful how this verse equates joy with God’s presence. God shows us the path our lives should go as He leads and guides us if our hearts are open to Him. His mighty right hand is always there to shower us continually with His goodness.
I can testify to the truth of this verse with this writing ministry. I experience joy, which I feel is God’s presence with me each week as I see how He reveals Himself in the ordinary of life and share that through writing. Joy and peace fill my heart when another reflection gets to the ‘right’ stage and when I hit the publish button.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)
This Scripture encourages us to be thankful for and in everything, as we have the most important gift in life—God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to accompany us. The presence of the Spirit in us makes praise flow from our mouths and hearts as we have gratitude for all that God provides and orchestrates.
Have you ever viewed gratitude as a way of praising and showing God honor for His goodness and grace that you experience? This writing ministry has helped me to be accountable to see and have gratitude for life’s small wonders and blessings. I’m just a simple, ordinary person living straightforwardly. I grow in awe of our Creator when I think about all the little intricacies that He orchestrates. Gratitude can be a deliberate act of opening our hearts to the beauty and goodness that is all around us because God made everything good.
Photo courtesy of Chronic Joy® under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. –Psalm 100:1, 5 (NLT)
Once again, Scripture is encouraging us to shout with joy to the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness. Our great God is continually lavishing us with His love and faithfulness—to all generations! We have so much to be grateful for.
This website started as a ‘test’ to see if God would provide inspiration to write about weekly after seeing other online bloggers. I don’t have an English or computer degree, but I do have a desire to share how I see God in the little details of life. It fills me with excitement and I want to share that with others. I am forever grateful for the series of events and people that God put in my path, which led to that first post on September 5, 2014. When I wrote that first post, I had no idea what God had in store for me! I faithfully continued writing through the years because He keeps the inspiration coming.
Four books for God’s glory!
About five years in, readers suggested I put some reflections in book form. I had no clue how I could ever make that happen, but we know that God provides as we follow His lead. God orchestrated events led me to meet a self-published author from Texas who was speaking at a local-to-me church. Five months later, she sent me information on how to self-publish, something that would be more attainable. Even more amazing was to see how the Lord led her to self-publish first-time authors a few months later. A year and a half after meeting her that one time in person and six years after starting my website, she was the publisher of my first book, God’s Presence Illuminated, as well as the three subsequent books.
My publisher, Mary Ethel Eckard and I meeting in person for the second time at the Christian Literary Awards in Texas – 2023.
Little did I know that writing would become my unconventional ‘ministry’—the way He gave me to share Christ and faith with others. He gives me the courage to share a book with a stranger, and this often leads to discussing faith and even to a new spiritual brother or sister in the Lord to journey with. My world was small before this ministry, but God has opened my eyes and heart to have personally shared over 1,800 of my books with others. He is a good, good God who is faithful. God has enabled me to do what I’m doing because of His grace.
Some of my spiritual family thanks to this ministry attending the book launch for God’s Glory Manifested.
The two greatest gifts of this writing ministry are the growth in me personally as well as spiritually and meeting people who inspire my faith walk. It is refreshing to grow deeper and deeper in intimacy with the Lord and in my faith. Thank you for being a part of this ministry—for gracing me with your presence in my life!
What are some of the things in my net of gratitude that have brought me joy with this ministry?
*Learning to embrace and celebrate who and how God made me.
*Being able to meet and learn so many spirit-filled people’s stories.
*Growing in trust, seeing God provide little nuggets of inspiration to share.
*Publishing four books to date, so more lives can be reached.
*Stretching myself as speaking engagements come along.
*Gracing me with spiritual family to journey with.
*Becoming more confident knowing God is working in and through me.
*God providing the path with this ministry.
*The provision of the titles of the books and living them out.
*Seeing God’s timing each step of this journey.
*Using my God-given gifts to fulfill His purpose for my life.
*The editors, publisher, encouragers, and faithful readers who journey with me.
Be encouraged this week to…
…seek His presence in the little details so your joy may be full.
…practice gratitude in all circumstances—the good and bad.
…pay attention to seeing God’s goodness and faithfulness.
…use your gifts to glorify Him while enjoying the adventure.
…know God provides everything in His perfect timing.
REFLECTION:
What brings you joy in your spiritual journey?
What surprise has God provided in one of your ministries?
My heart is filled with gratitude and joy because of what God has done so I think this is a perfect song entitled, “Give Thanks,” to end this 500th reflection with… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blbslHDgceY
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. –1 Chronicles 16:24 (NLT)
Christine, I Thank God the day I met you. You are a true inspiration to Love the Lord and Love people. May the Lord continue to Bless you, my friend! Thank You for being you! So Grateful, Thankful and Blessed to know you and call you, my friend!!!!
Hello, Lorie… Thank you for your beautiful words of encouragement to grace me with. I remain forever grateful for God’s wonderful orchestrations like when we first met! Thank you for all you do for others especially the littlest ones who need that extra TLC! Keep shining your light. So grateful for you!
What a wonderful personal accomplishment for you. I am constantly in awe of how you take the ordinary, simple things of life and give them so much thoughtful meaning. Your writing and spiritual thoughts keep me humble and gives me so much appreciation as we all journey through life. Heartfelt thanks for keeping me spiritually grounded. Continued success!!!
Greetings, Helen… Thank you so much for your beautiful message that means so much to me! I am grateful God orchestrated our meeting for His glory! Thank you for the way you shine His light to all through your ministries and acts of love. You also have the gift of encouragement of which I am a recipient~ Thank you~
Thank you for including the link to the song! And I give thanks for you and your writing to remind us all to give thanks to God each and every day. It has been joyful for me to come to know you! Congratulations on #500🙏
Hello, Eileen~ Thank you for your encouragement and faithful reading! I am glad you took time to listen to the song; I find it refreshing and I find myself singing it in my head afterwards too. I am so honored to have met you and to experience the joy of the Lord that shines through! My face hurts from smiling so much after our visits. Thank you and God bless!