Tag: God Moments

God Knocks, God Whispers

 When God Knocks on the Door of My Heart…During Book Club

This article has been updated and is an adapation of a segment in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. 

God Knocks, God Whispers

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelations 3:20

“Heeeey,” I heard someone call as they walked into the kitchen. Another one of my dear friends had arrived for our monthly health and mindfulness book club social.

We were all gathered in the kitchen and just catching up on all of our summer happenings. I was telling everyone about my son’s latest ninja warriors camp adventures, when the door bell rang.

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Who Could That Be?

‘Hmm, must be someone new to book club because this crowd usually doesn’t bother with door bells… or knocking for that matter,’ I thought to myself as I walked to the door.

Standing on the front porch was a nice looking young man. He had a bag full all different types of books slung over his shoulder and two books in his hand.

“Hey,” I said in a curious tone. After his friendly reply, he went into his reason for the visit.

His explanation went something like this, “I am selling these books to raise money for my college tuition. We are asking for a $20 donation or more…or less…or whatever you want to give for the books.”

As he spoke, he moved his arms forward to show the two books in his hands.

I looked down at the books as he presented them. There in his hands were a healthy foods book written by a RD (Registered Dietitian) and a Christian mindful peace book.

I looked down at the books and looked back up at him, “I think God wants me to buy these books.” I bluntly blurted out.

I went on to explain…(Pay very close attention here, because this is the important part)

“You see, this isn’t just any book club social going on right now, this is a mindfulness and health book club social. And I am a RD (Registered Dietitian) who writes a blog about health, faith, and mindfulness…AND the two books in your hand are a book about health foods written by a registered dietitian and a faith-based mindful peace book!”

We talked a little more about where he goes to school and about the other books in his bag. I was intrigued by another completely different book and asked him about it. Although I wanted that book as well, I decided to stick with the first two. I paid him, and he left.

“I’m probably going to write a blog about this,” I told him as he was leaving.

When I came back into the house, I told my friends about the awesome encounter. I showed them my books and told them about the one book I had wanted but didn’t buy. We were all excited about the events that had just unfolded; so filled with joy, we began the book club social.

***

Two Hours Later…

“Bye, thanks for coming,” I called out to all of my friends as they left my house.

“I can’t wait for the next one,” someone called out as they were shutting the front door.

‘Aww, that was so much fun,’ I thought as I picked up the plates and leftover appetizers.

I was putting the plates in the sink when one of my friends comes back into the house.

“Lacy, you know that other book you had wanted?”

“Yes?” I replied.

“The guy selling the books left it on your front porch!” she exclaimed.

“What?!?! How a amazing is that!” I felt like he had left that book as a way of saying that he had felt the significance of what had just transpired as well. I was truly amazed!

Thank God for Those Unexplainable Moments

This young man’s kindness touched my heart. I went to bed so thankful for God and for those unexplainable little God moments in our lives. The next morning I awoke overcome with emotion. I thanked God for the events of last night. On my knees, I cried and prayed. I prayed for the young man, his school, and my book club friends.

I hope I never forget the conversation the three of us had on that front porch. This young man and I talked, but God’s quiet whisper was the loudest and most beautiful voice of all.

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12

Update

Soon after purchasing these books, I began reading the one written by the dietitian first. I was even more convinced that I was meant to read this book. You see, I am a registered dietitian, and I felt lead to combine my nutrition knowledge with my faith on this blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food. At the time of purchasing this book, I was in the process of writing a faith-based nutrition book, and I was nervous about how it would go. Was I doing the right thing? Opening my door and seeing this young man holding a book written by a dietitian was the encouragement I needed. And when I started reading the book, I was even more encouraged. On the first page (her acknowledgement page) she wrote about following her passion as God leads and about looking to God for guidance in every situation. Later in the book she discussed the positve impact faith has on our health. When I bought this book, I knew I was buying a book by a registered dietitian, but I didn’t know that she talked about her faith in the book as well! Doesn’t that make this story even more amazing!

Please Share Your Thoughts

If you found this “God Whispers” story helpful, I would love to hear about it! I also love hearing other’s God moment stories. Do you have any stories about when God whispers in your life? Please share your ‘God Whispers’ stories with me. You may comment below or send me an email.

Related Post

If you enjoyed this “God Whispers” story, you may also enjoy my other “God Moment” stories.

We Prayed and Then This Happened!

We Ran Out of Gas

The Desperate Prayer: What if I Didn’t Praise God in the Storm?

God Follows Through

Why Are You So Afraid?

God Moments: Did That Just Happen!

Is God Real?

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The Desperate Prayer: What if I Didn’t Praise God in the Storm?

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a chapter in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. 

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

Before the Desperate Prayer

“I love you, God….”were the words that randomly pop in my head…except replace the word love with hate and you get what I actually thought. I still can’t bring myself to write it out. I never said those terrible words out loud. Even the thoughts I controlled were things like, “I love you, I trust you” and any other words I thought would “convince” God to heal my 8 year old son. I thought perhaps I could say the “right” things to MAKE God listen and intervene. We are suppose to praise God in the storm, right? But what happens if one day, you don’t praise God in the storm? This is a true story about a time when I prayed a desperate prayer, and how God answered.

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The Desperate Prayer

“I am So Sorry for My Thoughts, God”

I was eating breakfast that day those awful thoughts swiftly and briefly passed through my head. As soon as those words ran through in my head, I immediately panicked and said, “I didn’t mean that, and I am so sorry God. I DO love you.” And I was telling the truth. I did truly love God. In fact, I loved God so much that it hurt. In truth, I would not have been so upset with God if I didn’t love God soooo much. You know, we get more upset when we feel like the ones we love have abandoned us. I don’t feel nearly as hurt when a stranger does something I dislike, but when a loved one disappoints me…it’s painful.

Basically, I was being a child and having a temper tantrum with my parent. If you are a parent, you have probably heard at least one of your children say, “I hate you.” I know I have heard it a couple of times. When my kids have yelled these words at me, I always knew they loved me. I knew that what my child was really saying was,  ‘I am angry and in pain.’ Although I will never stop feeling guilty for thinking those words, I know that in reality I was literally a child lashing out at my parent.

More Thoughts Ran Through My Head…

Quite honestly, those thoughts in my head scared me. I started thinking, “I really don’t want to make God cross with me so I better make sure I am saying pleasing things. I mean, look at all the pain I’m already going through. What more is God going to do to me now that I had this awful thought?!?!”

Please Heal Him

You see my perfectly healthy son developed a medical condition called Bronchiectasis. We battled this illness for 2 years until the doctors decided it was time to remove a lobe of my son’s lung. This surgery would hopefully cure my son’s bronchiectasis. We had the surgery in August of 2017. September was wonderful. My son played soccer and played like he had never had bronchiectasis.

Then in October, he developed a completely unrelated disease called HSP. HSP or Henoch-Schonlein purpura is a disease involving inflammation of small blood vessels. The inflammation causes blood vessels in the skin, intestines, kidneys, and joints to start leaking. My son’s hands and feet swelled and they HURT so badly that he needed to ride in a wheel chair to get to the doctor’s office. He also had bruises all over his feet and legs, and he had to get his kidneys checked regularly.

The scariest thing for me is that this disease could last for as little as 8 weeks to as long as several YEARS, and could potentially cause permanent damage. I just felt like I couldn’t take ANOTHER several years of battling yet ANOTHER condition. My son had just gotten through one, 2 year battle, now he has to go through another?!?! Why is this happening again, I thought?!?!

What Am I Doing Wrong?

It felt like God wanted my son to have a life long condition. It seemed like God was mad at us for trying to get rid of one problem so God gave my son another disease. As if God was saying, ‘Well if you take the bronchiectasis away, then I will just give your son something else.’ I kept thinking, ‘WHAT was I doing wrong? Was God punishing us or attacking my son?’ Yet even as I lacked trust in God, God seemed to never abandon me. I kept having these “goose-bump” experiences that gave me glimmers of hope.

When my son had bronchiectasis, I felt God’s amazing, awe-inspiring love, support and presence. You can read about that awesome experience here.

I Didn’t Put my Trust in God

You would think that I would have had more faith and trust after the bronchiectasis God moment…but I didn’t.

I was so terrified again…and yet again I had another experience that gave me a glimmer of hope.

You see, the day I was so mad during breakfast wasn’t my rock bottom. I was angry, but I still had faith and hope. I still continued to pray for God’s help. It wasn’t until a few days later that I felt like I was losing my ability to cope and function.

The Desperate Prayer

That night I prayed one of the most desperate prayers I had ever prayed. My children had just fallen asleep so I crept into the hallway near them and prayed with desperation and fear. I told God how I was feeling, and I cried, telling God that the pain and stress were just too much. I was not only worried about my son’s physical health, but also his emotional health as well. My son, who had handled the first condition with resilience, had started randomly saying, “I feel sad and I don’t know why.” Well I knew why. Being sick again was taking it’s toll on him.

During this desperate prayer, I talked to God about all of this. I was raw and honest with God about how I was feeling. After I had prayed this fox hole prayer, I went into my son’s room and prayed over him while he slept.

I finally cried myself to sleep…

After the Desperate Prayer

Do you know the next morning my son’s bruises looked even worse! It was Sunday; yet another Sunday we wouldn’t make it to church. We hadn’t been to church in a month because of this painful disease.

By Sunday night, I was a wreck. I was not only angry, but I felt this shift in my faith and not in a good way. Feeling hopeless, I texted my friend. I told her I don’t think asking God for help does anything so I am going to quit asking.

I still loved God, but I didn’t think God was going to help us. Although, I had given up on God for help, God had not given up on me.

God Can Find Ways to Speak to Us

That faithful night I had pleaded to God to listen and answer me, and yet at the same time I didn’t make it easy for God to speak to me. Remember, I hadn’t been to church in a month due to this disease. I also had finished my devotional about 2 months earlier and hadn’t picked out another one yet. In the past, when I was going through something, either a sermon, a devotional or a Bible verse seemed to somehow speak about exactly what I was going through. In other words, when I was actively seeking God, God always seemed to communicate.

But I currently wasn’t reading or listening to anything about God…until that Tuesday.

A Little Background

A while back I had purchased these conversation starter cards as a Christmas present for my children. I always give my children a Christmas present around Thanksgiving. The gift usually has Christmas pjs, a Christmas movie, or Christmas books that the kids can enjoy during the season. I figure, if you wait until Christmas to give these kinds of gifts then they won’t get to enjoy them during the Christmas season.

I planned on putting these conversation cards into this Thanksgiving/Christmas present. One pack was called the The Art of Children’s Conversation and the other set was “The Art of Christian Conversation” starter questions. I love doing children’s devotionals with my family, and we had done similar conversation cards together before.  These cards were able to get my children talking and thinking about how they felt. I write about how these cards started amazing talks with my children in this post.

God Does Listen and Answer Our Desperate Prayers

On Tuesday these Christian conversation cards came in the mail. My son was stuck in bed so I decided to give this Thanksgiving present a little early. We opened the present that Tuesday night. We decided to try one of the Christian conversation cards right away.

The first cards we grabbed said, “Have you ever prayed a foxhole prayer like the one Jonah prayed in Jonah 2:1?”

Although I had heard the term before, I decided to look up the actual definition of fox hole prayer. This is what I read: A fox hole prayer is a prayer you pray in utter desperation and fear like soldiers have prayed in the fox hole during war.

I was speechless! ‘What?!?! I just prayed this fox hole prayer, and I am currently struggling with the results of THIS desperate prayer.  Because I felt like God was not answering my fox hole prayer, my doubts and fears were overwhelming me!’

Then my next thought was, ‘I wonder what the fox hole prayer was in Jonah 2:1.?”

I frantically looked up Jonah 2:1 which read, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.”

I can barely describe what I was feeling when I read those words, but the first words that comes to mind is utter relief.

Let Me Just Recap for a Moment.

I prayed a fox hole prayer and “in my distress I called to the Lord.” By Sunday night I had decided God wouldn’t answer me. Then the next Bible verse I randomly read was about how God listened and answered Jonah’s distressed “fox hole prayer!”

I was humbled, ashamed, relieved, and encouraged all at once. I doubted that God would answer my fox hole prayer and then I felt like God said, “I will answer and I am answering your fox hole prayer.”

How could it be that the first scripture I had looked up in a month was THIS!

Even When I Fail, God Doesn’t Leave Me

God shows me over and over…and over that God is listening and answering. How quickly I doubt over and over..and over. You know what amazes me the most? God stays by my side even when I don’t deserve it, and God continues to show me love and devotion. God continues to guide me and comfort me no matter how many times I fail. What a comfort to know that whether I say the right things or wrong things, God still loves and leads. Whether I trust God or doubt, God is still comforting me. Again, I go back to the parent/child relationship. Even when our children mess up, we continue to love, comfort, and help our children. Looks like God really does do the same for us.

When my son was first diagnosed with HSP, I tried to pray the “right” things to MAKE God love me, listen to me, and help me. Turns out, even when I said the wrong things, I couldn’t MAKE God STOP loving me, listening to me, or helping me.

Whew, what a relief because although I will continue to try to do what God wants, I KNOW I will continue to fail over and over. I will be selfish sometimes; I will lack trust sometimes; and I will be quick to anger sometimes. And sometimes… I won’t praise God in the storm, but GOD IS CONSTANT.

Update: My son’s HSP has been in remission for 5 months now. Many times HSP never comes back.

About Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC

Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.
Several branches fall under the Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC umbrella. One is Mindful Vending, which is one of the few dietitian owned and operated vending companies in the nation! Ngo is also the author of several books including Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, inspiring faith stories, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

The Nourishing Meal Builder
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.

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Copyright © 2018 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

This site is hosted by Bluehost.

Hearing & Answering God’s Call: Too Unbelievable to Just be Coincidence

Hearing and Answering God’s Call Series: Part 3

This is an adaptation from a story in the book, Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition. You can learn more about this inspiring book  here.

Signs of God’s Presence Today: Signs and Coincidences

Recapping Part 1 and Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 2, writing kept creeping up in my life. Even as a child, I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I would put the thought of writing aside, but years later I would find myself writing again. Part 1 of this blog series talks about the 4 clues to finding your purpose. One clue is you have a God-given passion for something. Another clue is that you keep getting signs over and over… and over. Sometimes your passion keeps finding its way back into your life. I think this reoccurrence of you passion could be a sign in and of itself.

(*An important note: Just because you have a passion, does not mean you are called to pursue it. Also, every passion we have is not a calling. After all, we often have passions for not so good things. Passion is just one clue. We need to look at every clue to figure out a calling. Another clue is that your passion matches up with God’s teachings. This series looks at several pieces to “What is your Calling.”)

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The Call Became Stronger

True, my passion for writing was a nice little clue, but standing by itself this clue really means little.  The call became much stronger later…

We had just joined our church, and my husband and I were in the process of visiting Sunday Schools.  One Sunday, we randomly visited a Sunday school class called “Open Doors.”  During the class, the teacher off-handedly mentioned the book, The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together (International Adventures), which was about a missionary named Brother Andrew.  I thought to myself, ‘that sounds like a good book to read.’   Almost a year later, I still remembered this specific Sunday schools comment about this ONE book, but I couldn’t remember the name of the book. It’s funny how one small comment will just stick in your mind, isn’t it? One day I saw the Sunday school teacher, and I asked her again for the name of the book.  This time I didn’t wait around. I quickly purchased the book, and my journey began…

One Book Changed the Direction of my Life

Brother Andrew’s story was inspiring to say the least! The things that he accomplished when he listened to God’s call were amazing!  When he was truly doing something God seemed to ask him to do, God took care of every one of his needs to get THAT job done.  (I thought this was interesting because we sometimes use God as a wishing well, but when we are truly following God’s wishes to help others; then, he will help us do THAT job).  In other words, if God tells us to do something, then God will help us get it done.  If you want to read some truly amazing God moments, I strongly recommend this book.

Awesome “God Moments” from the Book, The Narrow Road

Some of the amazing things that happened in the book were: 

* Brother Andrew had an injured leg that leg hindered a particular mission work he felt called to do. In fact, he felt the leg would nearly make the mission impossible! One day Brother Andrew talked to God about not being able to do this mission work due to his hurt leg. His leg was healed immediately!

* Brother Andrew felt strongly that he was suppose to take Bibles to persecuted countries, in which Bibles were not allowed. One time some guards stopped him. The smuggled Bibles were right on the seat of his car and the guards didn’t see them!

* Once or twice the money for missionary school was about to run out, and the exact amount came to him in peculiar ways just in time.

My Favorite Brother Andrew Story: This is GOOD!

One of my favorite stories took place during Brother Andrew’s time at missionary school.  Brother Andrew and the other students were asked to do local missions as an assignment.  They were given no money, food, or housing and they were told that they were not supposed to ask churches or anyone else for help. They were asked to trust that God would provide.  This was an exercise meant to teach them how to trust God completely.  This didn’t mean that the missionary school thought that people/charities should not ask for donations; the school just wanted them to practice putting all their trust in God for this particular exercise.

The students were also expected to tithe!  The students were divided into two groups. Brother Andrew’s group tithed at the beginning of each week no matter what challenges they faced.  The other group planned on tithing if they had enough after they fulfilled their own needs.  Interestingly, the group who tithed no matter what, always had enough for themselves and the missions. The other group constantly ran out of money and supplies.

They Needed Cake, and They Got a Cake in the Mail!

God seemed to always answer the needs of Brother Andrew’s group no matter how small.  For example, a church asked Brother Andrew’s group to come to a church event. The church also asked the group to bring a cake to this event. Remember, they have no money! The group panicked about how they were going to get the money for this cake.  They even considered doing something they hadn’t done yet, which was ask people for donations.  Just when the decided against asking for other’s help, they received a package in the mail.  Do you know what was inside the package? A cake, sent to them by a loved one!  The giver did not know they needed a cake; she just thought it would be a nice gesture!

The Prayer that Started it All

This book inspired me! Like Brother Andrew, I wanted to experience God’s power and presence more regularly. But was I willing to follow God’s will no matter what?  I decided to pray. Instead of praying for my needs, I prayed for God to show me what God wanted me to do. I told God I wanted to follow and serve God, and I wanted my life to be about serving God and others, not myself. (Yeah, I’m still working on that.) I asked God to please tell me God’s will. I figured if I really listened AND followed, I would see some amazing things happen just like Brother Andrew.  Basically, I was asking God to call on me.  Then God started talking…

God’s Call: Signs That God Was About to Answer My Prayer

Before telling me my specific call, God seemed to be telling me that my request was heard, and is being answered. Messages about God’s call bombarded me everywhere.

In fact, RIGHT after I prayed for God to call on me, our church started “The Call” series, which was suppose to help us learn how to hear and answer God’s call! Even our church band played songs about hearing God’s call. But here is the kicker; the band did not know the sermon topics when choosing songs!

After church, I experienced another coincidence. After church, I grabbed a veggie tales movie for my son to watch not knowing that out of all the Bible stories; this movie was about Jonah trying to push away God’s call!

Finally while I was putting my son to bed, I was showing my son pictures from his Children’s Bible. He was young, so we were just looking at pictures instead of reading the words.  The bottom of each page had a one liner prayer.  I finally randomly glanced at one of the prayers.  The prayer was literally asking God to help us listen to his call!! Out of all the prayers, why was this the one I randomly read?

I asked God if God would lead me because I was ready to do what God wanted instead of what I wanted. God seemed to answer immediately. God seemed to be saying through signs, ‘Of course, I have been waiting for you to ask this! I will lead you to what I am calling you to do.’

But the next questions was, “What IS God calling me to do?”  Check out part 4 for the answer…

Continue the Story…

How to Start a Blog When You Feel Called to Blog

Did God Give You a Passion for a Reason? Part 2

Are These Signs from God? A Call Story, Part 4

My Weekly Blogging Routine

What is God Calling you to Do? Part 1

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN

Lacy Ngo is a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: We Ran out of Gas

This is a “God moment”  story about what happened when I asked God to help me help others…

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

Just a Normal Drive to Work

Class shouldn’t be too long tonight.” I said as I was leaving to teach nutrition to a group of college freshman. I figured I would be home shortly since this was the first class of the semester. I usually just go over the syllabus and class expectation on the first day.

As I was driving to work, I noticed a policeman carrying a gas canister to a car stopped on the side of the road. I thought to myself, ‘oh that’s nice. That driver must have run out of gas, and the policeman brought a canister of gas to the stranded driver.

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

The Quick Prayer

This made my mind wonder as it often does. I began to wonder how often I was too busy to notice others in need of some help or assistance on the road or in a store. I’m not sure why, but I decided to pray a very specific prayer. I prayed, “God, if I pass by someone on the side of the road who has run out of gas, please help me notice, AND help me do the right thing.” Then I went to teach my students. As predicted, my class was short. I was glad since I had lots to do at home. So I jumped in my car and headed home…

She Said “We Ran Out of Gas.”

On the way home from class that evening, I kid you not, I see a car on the side of the road! A mother and her middle school-aged son were standing beside the car.

I am going to tell you the truth even though I am embarrassed. My first thought was ‘Are you kidding me? Am I really suppose to stop NOW?!’ What is the likelihood that I would pass by a car on the side of the road right after saying that prayer?’ But I HAD just prayed to God about this very thing. I did ask God to help me notice others in need. Well, I noticed, and now I had to choose to do the right thing. So I pulled over and asked, “Are y’all okay? Do y’all need anything?” (I’m from South Carolina, so you will find I say y’all…a lot). Do you know what the mother said? She said, “We ran out of gas.”

Is that not something! How often is someone stuck on the side of the road because they specifically ran out of gas? This family’s car battery wasn’t dead, and their car wasn’t broken down for another reason. No, this family was not stuck on the side of the road because of any of these more common issues. I asked God to help me notice if someone ever runs out of gas, and here in front of me is this mother and son standing with a car WITH NO GAS!

God moments, answered prayers, helping others, RAK, random act of kindness, inspiring God stories
When God answers our prayer

Filling Their Tank and Filling My Heart

I responded, “Okay, hold on. I will get ya’ some. I’ll be right back.”

I don’t know why I prayed such a specific prayer; maybe I thought that I wouldn’t be much help if the car trouble was much more than an empty gas tank. For whatever reason, I prayed, “Please help me notice and stop when someone runs out of gas,” and the NEXT time I drove, I passed by someone who had run out of gas!

Did God know these people were going to need gas at this time? Did God find a way to encourage me to stop for this family? I don’t know, and I don’t even understand. I just know it happened, and I still remember the look of shocked appreciation on that middle school child’s face when I came back with a canister of gas. Their thankful faces, and God’s answer to my prayer filled my heart that day. As I filled the tank, my heart was filling up too.

Your God Moments

I am so thankful God leads me because my decisions would look very different without God.

Do you have any God Moments you would like to share? I always love to hear how God is working in our lives. Please share your stories in the comments. If you enjoyed these posts, and would like to be notified when a new one is posted, please follow “Mindfulness in Faith and Food.” When you follow mindfulness in faith and food, you will get a free printable Mindful Planner.

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I love journaling! This is one of my favorite ways to learn, grow, and relax. Here are a few awesome prayer journals:

(Click on the journal for more details.)

More God Moments:

  1. God Moments: Did that Just Happen?

2. God Moments: Choosing the Same Picture.

3. God Moments: I Was So Afraid

4. God Moments: We Prayed and Then This Happened

5. God Moments: God Follows Through

What Happend after I prayed "God Help Me Help Others"
What Happend after I prayed “God Help Me Help Others”

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moment: We Prayed and Then This Happened!

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

The Miscariage… Then My Son Was Born

In 2009, my beautiful little boy was born.  Just over a year earlier, I had just had a miscarriage.  My body held on to this little baby for 3 months before the miscarriage. I still have my only picture via an ultrasound of my first little baby, and I can still remember seeing the little heartbeat on the ultrasound. I will always love that first baby, and as you can imagine, I was over the moon to find out I was pregnant again so soon after with my son.

The delivery of my son went well. He was a healthy baby except for a minor hydrocele.  The doctors said this was not unusual and that the hydrocele usually goes away before the age of one.  However, if the hydrocele did not go away by the time my son was one, then; my son may need a minor surgery, especially if the hydrocele turns into a hernia.

What in the World was Happening?

A year went by, and before we knew it, we were celebrating my little boy’s first birthday. Soon after my son’s birthday, I noticed a little redness when I was changing my son’s diaper.  Knowing about the hydrocele, I decided to get him checked out.  We took him to the doctor one evening. To my surprise, the doctor recommended that we go straight to the urologist. It was now after 5:00 pm, and the doctor was going to meet us at his already closed office.   I started thinking the worst.  On the way to the urologist, my son suddenly projectile vomited all over the car, car seat, and me.  I then became extremely worried.  What in world was happening?

The urologist concluded that my son did have a hernia and did need surgery, but thankfully, this was not an emergency.  The surgery could be scheduled for a later date.  During the procedure, my son would be put to sleep for a couple of hours, and then, he would go home the same day of the surgery.

Then He Simply Said “Hey”

Whew, crisis obverted,…but then I began to worry.  My logical mind, knew this was a minor surgery, but the protective mother began to panic as the day approached.  I had heard of babies having bad reactions to anesthesia, and by the night before the surgery, I was extremely stressed.

Although, I was nervous, I did our normal bedtime routine just as I always do.  First, I laid my son on the changing table to change his diaper and put on his pajamas.  Then, as usual, I bowed my head and said a prayer while he was still lying on the changing table.

That night I said a special prayer, asking God to please PLEASE help us know He is here with us and will be RIGHT HERE WITH US during the surgery.  I really, REALLY needed reassurance that God was with us. Then, I picked up my son and carried him to the rocking chair so that we could read our bedtime stories.   He was looking at me and smiling as we went to the chair. Then his gaze shifted to the ceiling. He suddenly smiled and said, “hey” like he was greeting someone as he looked straight up at one spot on the ceiling.   I was puzzled and curiously asked, “Who are you saying hey to?”  My son simply replied, “God.”

Bring on Those Chills

Chills ran up my arm.  For one, I bow my head when we pray, but my son looked up.  My son was not even two years old at the time. I don’t know how my son knew that God was there, and I am not sure how my one year old knew that he could just say “hey” to God anytime. Did my one year old son feel that God is with us all the time? My mouth dropped open as I slowly made my way to the rocking chair. I could barely move, and I could barely focus on the book I was reading to my son. In awe, I asked myself, “what… just… happened!” I do know that I prayed for God to help us know that He is here, and God did!  The surgery went smoothly and my son was home in a few hours.

God's precense today; A story of prayer and little sign's from God
We prayed and then this happened! A story of God’s presence today

Check out More God Moment Stories

God Moment: I was So Afraid

God Moments: We Chose the Same Picture!

God Moments: God Follows Through

God Moments: Did That Just Happen?

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN and Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC

Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.
Several branches fall under the Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC umbrella. One is Mindful Vending, which is one of the few dietitian owned and operated vending companies in the nation!

Ngo is also a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and nutrition and is the author of several books including Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, inspiring faith stories, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

Related Products

This is such a fun Journal! You can use this journal to write down you prayers, questions, thoughts, and God moments. After writing, you can color in the journal while you pray and think about what you just wrote. What a great way to slow down and be mindful!

I also just found the Prayer Journal For Children: A Kid’s Daily Journal for Prayer, Gratitude, and Praise – (Blue) -[Professional Binding]. I am so excited to find a way to share my joy of journaling with my children!

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: God Follows Through

God Follows Through

Signs, Miracles, and "Winks" from God: God Follows Through; A story or giving and receiving
Signs, Miracles, and “Winks” from God: God Follows Through; A story or giving and receiving

In my experience, when God leads us to do something, God usually helps us get it done. I’m not saying hard times won’t happen. I’m not saying that we won’t go through pain, but when God leads us to do something, God will be with us to make it happen. In other words, God follows through. This is post three of the “God Moments” series.

Debt

Like post two, this God Moment story begins at our church. Our church had been trying to pay off a debt for the new children’s building. The building provided a larger place for our growing group of children. Now that the building was built, our church wanted to reduce the debt and free up the church finances so that our church could serve our community and God’s world in other ways.

Paying the Mortgage is Our Responsibility

My husband and I wanted to contribute. In fact, we felt that as members of the church, this was our church and OUR mortgage.  It was our duty to help pay the bills just as it was our duty to pay the mortgage of our home. We just were not sure of the amount we should contribute. When we bought our own home, we cut back on some things because we wanted THAT home. Our home was more important than some of the stuff we cut out of our lifestyle. We felt the same about church home.

But How Much Do We Pay?

My husband and I decided to pray and hoped that God would lead us. After prayer, we came up with an amount that seemed hard for us. We wanted to practice putting God before our own material desires. We had just bought a home, and we had planned on renovating the living room, but we were now going to postpone the renovation for 3 years in order to give to our church. We did this not expecting anything exciting to happen, but something exciting did happen.

Follow God Without Expectations

Before I go on, I want to explain what I am NOT saying. I am not saying that every time you sacrifice God rewards you with money. Many times people have sacrificed for God and even paid the ultimate sacrifice of death. But sometimes I think God does show us just how much we can trust God to take care of us.  When we trust God, God finds a way to show us God’s presence. When God leads us to do God’s will, God helps us get it done.

We Followed and God Helped Us Get It Done

We made a pledge that would not leave us struggling, but would make us have to hold off on some spending. After we took that leap of faith and pledged our financial giving to the church, my husband received an unexpected raise at work AND found out that he was getting some backpay money he didn’t know he had coming!

Giving Changed Our Priorities

You know what was funny? In the process, we realized that we didn’t need the elaborate renovation we had originally planned. With this unexpected money, we were able to do a less elaborate renovation in 2 years instead of three AND we decided to give an extra financial gift to our church as a Christmas gift. In fact, we didn’t count this gift as part of our pledge and gave it as an EXTRA gift.

When I say we, I mean my husband because I wanted to count the gift as part of our financial pledge. I had to bite my tongue when my husband said, “Yeah, I think I am going to give this extra money to the church.” I wanted to say, ‘but when it is time to pay that last chunk of money that we have pledged to the church, aren’t you going to wish you had counted this money as part of our pledge?’ But I knew this was something good my husband wanted to do, so I held back from saying anything.

Photo by jubileelewis

Just Wait, The Story Gets Even Better!

So we gave that extra money without counting it toward the pledge. But a few months later our pledge was due, and we were kicking ourselves for not counting Christmas gift as part of our pledge.  You would think we would have been better at trusting God after all of this, but when it was time for our last payment to the campaign WEEEE WERE NERVOUS! It was year three of the campaign, and we had one BIG chunk of our pledge to give. Oh, did I mention that the amount we gave at Christmas WAS the amount we had left to give!

So with heavy hearts, we reluctantly wrote that check and gave that last sum to the church.

No Really, The Story Does Get Better! Bring On The Arm Chills

Do you know what happened the very next week?!!!! My husband was asked to do an extra one-time BIG job at work that paid him almost the EXACT amount we gave to the church! I mean, just wow! We didn’t get loads and loads of extra money, but we got the money we needed to serve God and our brothers and sisters at our church. I am tellin’ ya! One day, I hope to have more trust, because God keeps blowing me away when God shows up! All I can say is God follows through.

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

You May Also Enjoy

This is such a fun Journal! You can use this journal to write down you prayers, questions, thoughts, and God moments. In other words, use the journal to write down all the times in your life when God follows through.

After writing, you can color in the journal while you pray and think about what you just wrote. What a great way to slow down and be mindful!

I love prayer journals and am always recommending them. Since Thanksgiving is around the corner, I want to focus on some Gratitute and thanksgiving focused journals. Check them out below.


And this is a children’s gratitude journal! What a great way to to get the whole family involved!

More God Moments

God Moments: Did That Just Happen?

God Moments: We Chose the Same Picture

God Moments: We Prayed and then This Happened!

God Moments: I Was So Afraid

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: Choosing the Same Picture!

God Moments: When God Shows Up!

I believe that God is not a silent God. God wants to have a real relationship with us, and God wants to be a part of our lives. And I believe you don’t have to say the perfect prayer for God to show up. God doesn’t have to be manipulated to be in our lives because God wants to be in our lives! I have found this to be true in my own life. Many times God has shown up when I was actively praying, searching, and pursuing a relationship with God, but sometimes God has “shown up” when I didn’t even deserve it. I call these moments when we clearly see God in our lives “God Moments.”

God is compassionate. God loves us and doesn’t have to be convinced to do something for us. Sometimes all we need to do is ask, be patient, and mindfully watch. Get ready because God will show up!

A Sunday Morning God Moment

This is post two of the “God Moment” series. This “God moment” takes place on a busy Sunday morning. ..

Our church service was starting soon, and we were close to being late. My husband, who is in the church band, was already at church. As we rushed into the lobby, I noticed a large table filled with pictures of adorable children from all over the world. I made a mental note to check out the table after the service.

After church, I went to the table and learned that the children in the pictures were children in need of financial help. Church members could choose to provide monthly financial help by sponsoring a child. Once you signed up to sponsor a child, you would send the child’s family much needed money as well as notes and letters of encouragement. I was immediately drawn to a little boy named Matt from another country.

We Chose the Same Picture!

I wanted to sponsor Matt, but knew I needed to see if my husband would want to sponsor him as well. Perhaps my husband didn’t even want to take on the responsibility of sponsoring a child, so I asked my husband if he wanted to go over to the Compassion table and check it out. I didn’t want to pressure him or even suggest a particular child to him. I wanted to see what he thought without my interference.

When we walked over to the table filled with probably 30 to 40 children’s pictures, my husband picked up only one picture and said “what about this child?” The picture was of Matt!!! I couldn’t believe it. We both chose Matt on our own. The choice was easy. We knew Matt was the child we should sponsor. We still continue to sponsor and pray for Matt and his family. For some reason, we were both drawn or perhaps guided to Matt that day.

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

journaling photo

You May Enjoy

Journaling has become a way for me to pray, think, and learn. Also, I  journal whenever I experience a God Moment. I try to write down that experience before I forget. In fact, I found this particular blog story in my journal.  If I had never written this story down, I may not have even remembered this moment or been able to share it with others. In case you are searching for a cute and inspirational prayer journal, I have provided links to several prayer journals.

Want more God Moment Stories? Check out these other posts.

God Moments: Why are You So Afraid?

God Moments: Did That Just Happen?

God Moments: Choosing the Same Picture

God Moments: We Prayed and Then this Happened!

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

God stories about amazing coincedences
God Moments, Winks, adn signs: amazing coincedences

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: Why Are You So Afraid?

God Moments: Why are you So Afraid?

Hearing God through Journaling

I have always loved journaling. I still have my Mickey Mouse journal from elementary school. My journaling evolved as I got older. Later, my writing switched from talking about the day and my latest crush to writing about God. I now keep a prayer journal, but the journal holds so much more than prayers. I do include my prayers to God, but I also write as I read scripture. In my little journal, I transcribe all of the thoughts and questions I have after reading scripture. I also include what I call “God Moments” in my journal.

Seeing God's Presence Today through journaling, plus a short God moment story
Seeing God’s Presence Today through journaling, plus a short God moment story

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

I write every time I experience one of  those amazing “that just gave me chills” moments. Do you know what I’m talking about? These are those stories that make you feel like God is talking to you, or those moments when you realize God is trying to get your attention. God moment stories often make you cry happy tears because you feel like God IS right there! These are stories about those moments when you FEEL God’s love and guidance.

Journal So That You Will Remember

After something beautiful and amazing happens, I think to myself, “wow, I won’t ever forget this!” But I have found that as time passes, I only remember some of the God Moments of my life. So I made it a priority to get those stories written ASAP before I forget! Do you know what I found after writing them down? These kinds of stories happen A LOT!!!! God is guiding us, and when I began collecting all of my God moments in a journal, I noticed just how often God has guided me.

My journal often feels like a broken record. The same most beautiful song is recorded in my journal over and over. These God moment stories are about all the random and not so random times when I would read something in the Bible at the exact time I needed to read it. God seems to often communicate to me and maybe you in this way.

God Moments: The Series

So this leads to the “Mindfulness in Faith and Food” new series announcement. Our new blog series is entitled, “God Moments.” I want to share these cool stories with others in hopes to comfort others in some way. God IS here! God does care! God is guiding us!

This Week’s God Moment Story: The Fear was Taking Over

In honor of this series, I want to share a short “God Moment” now. This God moment happened during a time when I was experiencing fear about something going on in our lives. On this particular day, fear was overtaking my day. I was experiencing this immense fear in the pit of my stomach. The fear was so strong that it was almost painful.

But Then I Found Comfort in God

Do you know that this very same day, I stumbled upon lessons about “trusting God when you are afraid” not once but twice?!!! The most impactful moment occurred when I was reading our nightly children’s devotional called God and Me to my son. I often like to read the context around a piece of scripture, but on this particular day the children’s devotional pulled just two sentences out of the Bible. The devotional simply said this, “Why are you so afraid? Do you STILL have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

These words hit me smack in the heart and comforted my fearful soul. The fact that these two sentences were written in our devotional on this particular day made me feel like the words were being whispered to me. ‘Lacy, why are you SO afraid? Do you STILL have no faith?’ This soft critique was such a comfort. I felt as if God was saying that I could trust God. God’s got this!

My Prayer

Thank you, God, for finding ways to speak to us and guide us. I don’t know what I would do without your comfort and guidance. I am sorry for my lack of trust and for ALL the many…many…many times I fall short. You know, like that time yesterday and the day before… Thank you for guiding me and love me anyway. Amen.

18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

Tell Me Your God Moments

I love to hear how God is working in our lives today. Please tell me some of your God moments in the comments section. How has God guided you and comforted you in your life?

More God Moments

God Moments: We Prayed and Then This Happened

God Moments: Did That Just Happen?

God Moments: God Follows Through

God Moments: Choosing the Same Picture

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

 

Related Products

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

God Moments: Did That Just Happen!

Seeing God’s Presence Today

Signs, Miracles, and "Winks" from God; An Amazing story about God's Presence today
Signs, Miracles, and “Winks” from God; An Amazing story about God’s Presence today

Mindfulness can help us stop to notice God’s presence in our lives, but sometimes God does something so cool that we notice even when we are not being particularly mindful. This is one of those experiences. Read until the end because the end is the best part!

Disclosure: This site may provide affiliate links (See full disclosure)

This article has been updated and is an adaptation from a story in 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This unique book was written by Lacy Ngo, a dietitian nationally recognized as a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition. She shares the exact steps that, based on science, produce the most dramatic health and weight loss success in her book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life. This book is like nothing you have ever seen before. It combines faith and science. Both are crucial when it comes to producing real change because real change involves the mind, body, and spirit. This is an adaption from a story in the book, 18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life.

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

How It All Started

About a year and a half ago, my then six year-old son took an ambulance ride from urgent care to the hospital. Before that ride, he had been on antibiotics but just kept getting sicker. When we arrived at the ER, the doctors diagnosed him with Pneumonia and admitted him to the hospital for five days. After being released, he just couldn’t get rid of that cough and kept getting fevers about every two to three weeks. An X-ray showed that he had a collapsed lung from all these lung issues. They released my son from the hospital in December. It was now June, and he was still coughing, struggling to breathe when he ran, getting tired easily, and getting frequent fevers. He had taken so many antibiotics that I had lost count. He had been put to sleep twice for minor lung procedures.

In June, the doctors decided to get a CT scan to see if he had a condition called Bronchiectasis. The CT scan confirmed he had this condition, which is defined as abnormal widening of the bronchi or their branches, causing a risk of infection. I had never heard of it so, of course, I looked it up online. The things I read terrified me. I was not handling the diagnosis well. I was walking around constantly on the verge of crying, but trying to seem cheerful for my children. Many nights I would pray and let out all of my pent up tears. I was scared of what this meant for my son. I can’t even bring myself to type all of the worries I was feeling. If you are a parent you can probably imagine the fears going through my head.

I Wanted to Cancel

The very same week that I learned of the diagnosis, I wanted to shut myself off from everyone, but our church book club was suppose to meet at MY HOUSE! I came inches from canceling. Most of the book club regulars were not able to come, so I started thinking no one is going to show up anyway. But then a new girl sent me an emailed saying that she would like to come and bring two of her friends. I didn’t want to cancel when new people had expressed interest, so I decided to push through. The funny thing is the new girl who had originally expressed interest was unable to attend, but the two friends she had mentioned in her email did come. These two girls, who only attended this one time, probably didn’t know what they were walking into. I was unorganized and monopolized the whole conversation. I ended up pouring all my emotions out to these brand new people. They were such patient listeners, and although I don’t know if they got much out of book club, I felt much better after that night.

Life Went On…

After that night, life went on. The doctors were trying all kinds of treatments. My son was now on continuous antibiotics three times a week and doing 30-minute treatments twice a day.

Below is a picture of the breathing treatments my son was doing twice a day.

My son was now going to doctors in Rock Hill, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill. Before I knew it, a year had gone by since receiving that initial diagnosis and pouring my heart out to those random new girls at book club.

Can I Ask You A Weird Question?

The doctors decided it was time to talk about having a surgery to remove the damaged lobe of his lung. The doctor gave us a list of surgeons, so I began to go down the list, making calls. I called the first office on the list to set up a consultation with a surgeon in Charlotte, NC. I started talking to the receptionist. She started asking basic questions like, “What is the appointment for?,” and “What is your home address?.” Then she paused and says, “Can I ask you a weird question?” I’m thinking, ‘What in the world is she going to ask me’, but all I said was “Okay.”  She then says, “Do you happen to have a book club with St. John’s?” Shocked and confused, I replied, “Yes!” She then exclaimed, “I think I have been to your house!” When I was answering her questions over the phone, she remembered hearing a similar story a year earlier at this book club she had attended once. She then realized she recognized the address I had just given her. She figured out that she and her friend, who also works in the same office, (you know, that other new girl) had been to my house the week my son had been diagnosed a year ago!

Knowing that people at the surgeon’s office knew our story and had known our story since the diagnosis was such a comfort to me.

God’s Plan to Bring Comfort and Guidance was Put into Action a Year Earlier

You know what else? I thought to myself, ‘wow, when I was walking around terrified and wishing I would feel God’s presence, God was right there’. I felt like God was giving me comfort on that book club night. Little did I know, that same book club social would give me comfort not only that very night but also a year later. Did God somehow help me cross paths with these ladies right when my son was diagnosed? Did God know this journey would lead to a big surgery way back then? (Of course God did!) Many of us have learned that God knows all, our past and our future, but to truly witness this was humbling. This experience made me feel like God was  giving me a warm hug. I could feel God’s Presence and realized just how present God had been the whole time. As, I processed this, the tears began running down my face and chills began running up my arm.

Today my son is doing well. The surgery was a success! We continue to praise God for warm hugs, comfort, and guidance.

Do you have any stories about experiencing God’s presence, comfort, or guidance?

Please share any of your stories in the comments below. I love these stories!

If you are looking for good books about people experiencing God’s presence in their lives, two of my favorites are  The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together (International Adventures) and Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World:


Want More God Moment Stories? Check these Out

God Moments: We Prayed and Then This Happened!

God Follows Through

 We Chose the Same Picture

I Was So Afraid

God Moments: We Ran Out of Gas

About Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC & Lacy Ngo MS, RDN

About Lacy Ngo, MS, RDN and Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC

Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC focuses on how to live your healthiest, happiest, most meaningful life through faith-based mindfulness and evidence-based nutrition.
Several branches fall under the Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC umbrella. One is Mindful Vending, which is one of the few dietitian owned and operated vending companies in the nation!

Ngo is also a top expert in faith-based mindfulness and nutrition and is the author of several books including Faith, Mindfulness, & Nutrition, Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals and The Nourishing Meal Builder. You can also find evidence-based nutrition articles, recipes, convenient healthy snack lists, inspiring faith stories, and faith-based mindfulness techniques on her blog, Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

Copyright © 2017 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

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