Stacy Hawkins Adams - Who Speaks to Your Heart?: Tuning in to Hear Gods Whispers

ZONDERVAN

Who Speaks to Your Heart?

Copyright 2010 by Stacy Hawkins Adams

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition MARCH 2010 ISBN: 978-0-310-56516-1

Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Adams, Stacy Hawkins, 1971

Who speaks to your heart? : tuning in to hear Gods whispers / Stacy Hawkins Adams.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-310-29271-5 (softcover)

1. ListeningReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Spirituality. I. Title.

BV4647.L56A33 2010

248.843dc22

2010004895

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Other Bible versions quoted in this book are listed on page 187, which hereby becomes a part of this copyright page.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

10 11 12 13 14 15 /DCI/ 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To women everywhere
who yearn to recognize Gods voice,
to serve the Creator more fully,
and in the process, to embrace their authentic selves.

Y ears ago when I was trying to decide whether my dream of becoming a professional writer was a long shot for a shy, small-town southern girl, God spoke to my heart that since he had placed the desire there, it was a worthy calling to pursue. Never mind that I didnt personally know authors or journalists who could guide me to success, and never mind the doubt I sometimes encountered when I shared my aspirations with others. Very few people openly questioned my goals, but in some of their expressions I read their disbeliefthe kind of disbelief one possesses when a petite child declares plans to play professional basketball, or an off-key singer (like myself) insists shell be the next big musical sensation.

God didnt speak to me through a burning bush or through an angel bearing a scroll. There was just thisknowing, this belief that he wouldnt have planted seeds inside me that he didnt intend to nurture. This confidence blossomed as I grew older and matured in my faith. I learned to make time to listen to God after I prayed and to find the courage to hear what God was sayingto my spirit, through other people, and through his divine Word, the Bible.

For every person who expressed doubt about my career choice, there was another who read my poems, short stories, and articles and believed that my words were entertaining or inspiring enough to be shared with the world. They urged me to keep writing, to dream big, and to do whatever it would take to succeed. Those voices served as guideposts along my path, helping me move forward whenever I questioned my abilities and whether my goal was practical. They also provided the encouragement I needed to trust my feelings: I came alive when I put words and characters on paper. I knew I had to honor what I was experiencing.

I had been involved in church my entire life and had publicly declared my belief in Christ the summer I turned eight, but during my teens, I found myself more curious than ever about the Bible and the answers it might hold for my modern-day life. I remember wondering how Scriptures written so long ago could be relevant to anything I was facing in high school.

Sure, I was active in my church, and I prayed regularly. I believed that Jesus loved me. Yet I wrestled with what loving him back would cost me and with whether I would have the courage to give up, or pursue, whatever God might ask of me. I struggled to wrap my brain around messages in the Bible that declared that a God I couldnt see or touch had the time and interest to single me out from the millions of other people who wanted love, attention, and help. And if he were willing to do that, I wondered whywhat made me special enough to be noticed? What makes any of us that valuable?

I discovered that when I sincerely asked him which of the paths I was considering would please him, the more I received his guidance. The more I allowed him to lead me, the more I began to know his voice.

These days, when I look back on that long-ago period of questioning, and when I consider the mountaintop and valley experiences that God has consistently shared with me, Im humbled to realize in just how many ways he has spoken throughout my life, even when I wasnt ready to pinpoint him as the source. Gods wisdom now guides me so often as a busy wife, mother, and writer that I am surprised by the wonder I feel when I see his fingerprints on my life. I have learned to trust that hes always working on my behalf no matter how things look, yet Im still occasionally caught off guard by how creatively he does it.

Most of what others consider lucky breaks, fortunate circumstances, wishes granted, or even miracles, are kisses from God. These blessings are reminders that our hopes, our dreams, and even our fears and frustrations are safe with our heavenly Creator.

When no one else can relate to the days you want to hide out under the covers until a storm passes, or shout from the rooftops when youve achieved a sought-after accomplishment, or press a rewind or fast-forward button to shift your life from a period of stagnation or uncertainty, God is gently tapping on your hearts door. Hes sending messages through the Scriptures, through strangers, and in numerous other ways to remind you that he is ever loving and ever present, ready and willing to speak to your need or your situation.

Ive taught myself in recent years to close my eyes and picture a large-scale map of the world, spread out on a table. I am standing at one end of the table, peering at this map from all angles. In some other regions of the world, I see people who are hungry and hopeless and believe they have no power to change their circumstances except through violence. In others, I see pain and prosperity mixed with pleas for relief, greedy actions, or prayers for salvation. I imagine that God wants to heal and help us all.

I tell myself that he is standing guard over this map, and he sees my life and the world at large from every angle.

He has the perspective, the knowledge, and the power to know how best to protect me, teach me, comfort me, and mature me, because he knows how his plans for me can also impact his child down the block or in another part of the universe. He knows how the choices and circumstances someone else is dealing with can help me fulfill my purpose. This exercise teaches me to slow down, to stop fretting, and to trust that Romans 8:28 is correct: In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Our role is to discipline ourselves to be real with God about who we are and where we are in life. It is to be still enough to not only pray to him, but also to watch and wait and listen with our hearts as well as with our ears for whatever messages or answers he chooses to send. Our role is to be in tune enough, or in a solid enough relationship with God, to respond to his direction, trusting that even when we dont understand, we know that God has already figured things out.