At work the other day, I was chatting with a co-worker (who I will call Jill), and somehow we got off task. Before I knew what happened, Jill was telling me how her mother always told her how much money it took to raise her. It wasn’t specifically in dollar amounts, but even as a young girl, Jill was constantly reminded by her mother that they had to pay for so many things to take care of her. To a young child who doesn’t understand the value of money or that it costs to raise a family, being constantly reminded of this fact simply didn’t mean anything. As she got older, Jill realized her mother was actually complaining about the cost of raising a family.

The more we talked, the more off task we became. Then another co-worker chimed in and said that God gives her constant reminders too. These were of a much different sort. Her reminder that morning was a song “Fix my Eyes on Jesus.” Instantly, she was reminded that no matter how bad her day at work was going, she did not have to stress out about it. Instead, all she had to do was fix her eyes on Jesus, and she knew he would help her through the day no matter how stressful the job was.

That sidetrack at work made me think about God and all the constant reminders that we get from him. Sometimes we’re like little children who don’t understand the value of the reminders. Then there are times when that’s all the hope we have left, and if it wasn’t for the Lord’s constant reminders, we would surely faint.

A magnificent sunset over the horizon after a stressful day at work, the calm after a raging storm, holding a tiny newborn for the very first time so close to you that you can feel his or her little heartbeat, an astronaut’s view of this wondrous earth from the vastness of outer space, and simply falling in love – deeply and profoundly in love for the very first time. All of those things are constant reminders that God is ever-present, and this world and everything in it is what he created in the beginning. Knowing he has the hairs on my head numbered simply blows my mind, but that too is a constant reminder that He knows absolutely everything about me.

So as I continue this journey of discovering the storyteller inside me, I am constantly reminded that I write because He called me to do it. I tell people that I’m a nurse by profession, author by passion, and storyteller by the grace of God. I have a purpose for writing and sharing testimonies with others, and it has nothing to do with me. It’s not a job, nor is it my chosen career path. It’s so much more than that. It’s a “calling” that I have answered. As I share my thoughts through this blog, my prayer is that each of you will be inspired and encouraged by the stories that I share. As I seek the Lord for guidance as to what I should write, I earnestly pray that you will be blessed and inspired. As Revelation 12:11 teaches us, we are overcomers by the words of our testimonies.

That’s how I started my first book, Living Inside The Testimony. And that’s how I will end this post, with a gentle reminder for each of you. Remember that we all live inside testimonies meant to be shared with others. I finally realized that God doesn’t have to constantly remind me of that. Thank you for living inside this testimony with me.

Are there reminders from the Lord that you don’t recognize or perhaps ignore? Are there things in your life that you need to share with others to help inspire and encourage them along the way? Does God have to constantly remind you that HE created you for a purpose? Are you fulfilling that purpose?