Roma Downey - Unexpected Blessings: 90 Inspirations to Nourish Your Soul and Open Your Heart

90 Inspirations to Nourish Your Soul and Open Your Heart

Unexpected Blessings

Roma Downey

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All Scripture references, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright 2022 by Roma Downey

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Interior design by Dana Sloan

Cover design by Min Choi

Cover photographs by Shutterstock

Author photograph by John Russo

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-9922-7

ISBN 978-1-9821-9923-4 (ebook)

Id like to dedicate this book to my beloved family:

My darling husband, Mark, my gorgeous daughter, Reilly,

and my two lovely stepsons, James and Cameron.

My blended family is an unexpected blessing for which I am truly grateful.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up a copy of my devotional, Unexpected Blessings. I pray that these inspirations will nourish your soul and open your heart. With each entry you read, I pray that you will hear Gods loving voice.

I had such thoughtful and kind feedback from many of you about my bestselling book Box of Butterflies. I was inspired to take a deeper dive into the themes of that bookstrength, kindness, courage, love, stillness, gratitude, and home. I created this devotional using some of the stories from my life that I shared in Box of Butterflies. But I also felt a nudge in my heart to share new stories as well, along with lessons I learned from them.

At the beginning of each devotional, youll read either a small excerpt from Box of Butterflies or a quote I find inspirational or both. Ill share a Scripture to reflect on, and well explore how the two fit together to teach us Gods truth, strengthening us for the day ahead. Finally, Ill lead us in a prayer to still our minds in the loving presence of God.

We all live such busy lives, and in our busyness, we can forget to take a moment for ourselves, for each other, for God. We forget to notice the sometimes-surprising blessings He sends. Yet a kind word, a sweet smile, and a tender touch are all simple and loving ways that can remind us to move through our day with grace. Remember, it only takes a moment to be kind. By committing to a daily devotional, you are showing kindness to yourself. You are taking time to be still and know God.

Unexpected Blessings is my gift to you, a gentle reminder to start each day in the presence of our loving God. I do hope the time you spend reading this book lifts your spirit and touches your heart, reminding you that you are special and loved.

I believe God wants to walk with us on a path of greater trust, greater peace, greater hope. Im picturing this devotional as a journey you and I will take together, listening to Gods voice of love. If that sounds good to you, lets close with a prayer, looking forward to all that He has in store for us.

Thank You, God, for speaking to us.

Thank You for making this beautiful world for us to enjoy.

Please help us to hear Your voice, Lord.

Teach us to be quiet and listen to Your message of love.

We want to know and love You more.

Reveal to us Your unexpected blessings and

strengthen us through every page of this book, we pray.

In Jesus name, amen.

Take care, dear reader.

With love,

I know that this life can be filled with sorrow.

We all experience loss and heartbreak.

But oh, if we can just remember that in the struggle our wings become stronger.

We can get through even the hardest times, and one day we will fly.

BOX OF BUTTERFLIES

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16, 18

I ve been a person of faith my whole life. In our house it was always the right time for a prayer. Gratitude for Gods blessings was part of the everyday fabric of our lives. I lost my mother suddenly when I was only ten, and our faith became even more essential as my family leaned on each other and God to get us through that difficult and painful time.

Not long after Mother passed, my father and I visited her graveside. We brought pansies, her favorite flower. She said they reminded her of little butterflies. Just then a butterfly flew right in front of us, dancing on the wind. And my dad said, Would you look at that! That wee butterfly could be your mothers spirit right there. I have always felt that that butterfly was a gift from God, a reminder of His loving presence. It was a comfort to me.

In my grief, God reminded me I wasnt alone. You are not alone in your pain, either. As we surrender our heartache to Jesus, we can find purpose in pain.

I dont imagine many caterpillars creeping about, contemplating their purpose. When they begin to spin cocoons, they probably arent envisioning future challenges. Breaking out of a tight sheath of woven silk is difficult, but there is purpose in the caterpillars pain. In the struggle to release itself from a dark cocoon, the butterfly becomes strong enough to fly.