This is me, on Joelle’s wedding day, as drawn by Joelle a couple of years ago.

I came across the picture the other day, carefully tucked away in my bedside table drawer. I’ve kept it for a reason. Joelle’s drawing serves as a reminder of how God spoke to me at a critical time in my life.

We were on our way to North Carolina for Spring Break, to hang out on the beach for several days with some of our good friends.  On the long drive down, Joelle drew multiple pictures to pass the time, this being one of them.

What she didn’t know, is that when she proudly presented the picture to me, I was harboring internal anxiety about some health changes I was experiencing. I was trying not to worry or be anxious.  My nursing background is a real asset, yet at times it can be a detriment.  Particularly when I experience physical symptoms that could be associated with serious disease processes that I know about.  I’ve seen a lot of suffering and premature death. I can too quickly begin to associate my symptoms with serious problems.  It’s a weakness that I’m not proud of, but I am learning to recognize earlier when I’m starting to go down that path in my mind.

So inside, as we make the journey south, I’m carrying the weight of worry that I can’t completely shake off. Repeatedly I find myself asking God to help me trust and to be at peace.  I certainly didn’t want these worries to overshadow our family vacation with friends. Plus, in my head, I know that worrying is a big clue that I’m not trusting God, but I can’t get my heart there.

This tension was the struggle I found myself in when Joelle passed the drawing up to me.

As my eyes took in the picture she had drawn, my heart was suddenly flooded with faith. Faith came from a small voice inside assuring me that I could trust what she had drawn- a picture of a good future.

I’m always amazed at the ways that God speaks through ordinary circumstances. Ordinary, everyday moments can quickly turn into opportunities to encounter the Divine.

Is there something you are concerned about, a question you are asking, or a breakthrough needed?  It may be that what you need to hear or see may come to you through something very ordinary, something seemingly every day. Everyday moments can become extraordinary when we are open.  You just never know.

By the way,  I was able to enjoy our trip without having anxious thoughts harboring in the back of my mind. And, after we got back, I had the symptoms checked out just to be sure everything was fine.

So I tucked the picture away once again in the drawer of my bedside table.  I will keep it there as a lifelong reminder of what I believe God spoke that day, and as a reminder that an ordinary moment could become something extraordinary when we most need it to.