Devotionals for the Heart: When God places you where you belong

When God Places You Where You Belong
A devotional by Terry Overton

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”—Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Have you ever taken an action and then wondered if it was the right thing to do?

You prayed about it, talked it over with loved ones, and trusted God. Later, you found yourself quietly wondering, Did I get this wrong?

This happened to me.

Not long ago, my husband and I moved from the warm, sunny coast to a place more than five-hundred miles inland. Once we decided to make the move, after several weeks of prayer and discussion, we listed our house and found one that seemed to meet our needs and check all the boxes. It was closer to family and on the outskirts of a city full of resources for health, plenty of shopping, restaurants, and services.

But after many cold winters, snowy, and icy days, we began to talk about how much we missed the warmer weather of the coast. With that in mind, I planned a two-week long vacation in the middle of the winter. We could visit our long-time friends, play golf, go on walks, eat in our favorite beachside cafes, and go to the beach. Wondering if moving north had been the right thing to do in this season of life, we discussed the possibility of looking at some of the currently listed homes in our old neighborhood on the coast. The two-week rental seemed perfect, and they allowed us to bring our sweet dog.

What happened next was a clear message from God that He had indeed planned for us to move north and, He put an exclamation on our move during our trip back to the coast. The two-week vacation was shortened to a mere five days. Why? We both wanted to be back in our “own home”. As the verse above states, we should not be conformed to this world or our desires. For me, it meant God was saying, “Do not think you know the path? When guided by Me, do not look back. Only through testing, will you discern My will.”

Just a few days into our dream vacation, my mind was transformed and my appreciation for the wonderful home up north was renewed. When we moved north, it was because He knew there was something better for us in the new location. The short trip underscored His plan for me and helped me to understand to surrender to His plan, I must give up my longing for control. By planning an extended vacation to the coast, I had intended to control outcomes. But God asks us to surrender all outcomes to Him. I was reminded that He plans my steps. He directs my route.

Sometimes God lets us revisit what we thought we missed, not to take us backward, but to show us how much we’ve changed. What once felt like home may not fit who God is shaping us to be now. What once made us long for the past may now feel strangely empty. It’s not because it was wrong, but because it belonged to a different time.

When we returned to our current home, I felt blessed beyond belief. It was God’s plan for us to move here. This was home. I no longer had doubts about His plan. I feel His purposeful presence here. The only way I can discern His plans and transform my own understanding is to be faithful, let go of control, and place everything in His hands.

My visit to the coast confirmed that God had already placed us exactly where we belonged. What once seemed uncertain became a powerful reminder that God sometimes allows us to revisit old places to show us how He has transformed our hearts and redirected our lives.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for providing tests of faith that provide true understanding of Your will. Forgive me for wanting to control the outcomes You have already set in motion for me. Help me to stay close to You and strive to know Your path for me.

In Jesus’s name I pray.

Amen.

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Song of Reflection #1: “He is with Us” by Love & The Outcome. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “I Need Thee Every Hour” (Hymn). Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology. 

Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean.

She has two children, seven grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.

Her previous writing and publication experiences include textbook and journal articles in the fields of special education and school psychology. She now seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals.

Over the years, Terry’s books have won the Mom’s Choice Award, Christian Indie Award, Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Pencraft Award, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her writing examines real world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle grade readers, YA fiction, and adult level novels.

Terry’s background in teaching adults and children shine through her stories that often include a character with educational or learning challenges. Her Christmas series, The Oddball Ornaments, features a box of misfit ornaments who first learn the meaning of Christmas and then discover the meaning of forgiveness. In The Underground Book Readers series, one of the main characters is on the autism spectrum yet is one of the leaders of the group of teens. Book one of a new series, The Messiah Brigade, features an awkward middle school nerd who helps his school turn around a bully gang of kids. Adoption and family issues are the focus of her new book, Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel.

Terry lives in Texas and enjoys reading, taking pictures for devotional posts on social media, visiting with her family, playing golf, and writing.

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Connect with Terry:
Website: https://www.authorterryoverton.com
Blog: https://terryovertonbooks.com
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/overtont

Devotionals for the Heart: Finding Joy

Finding Joy in the Losses
A devotional by Peg Arnold

“God, investigate my life;

get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there,

then up ahead and you’re there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can’t take it all in!”

—Psalm 139:1-6 (The Message Bible)

Have you ever had to give away or sell something that you love?

You may have found yourself in this situation for many reasons: financial need, a job change, or a move. Seven years ago, we were preparing to leave our home of 32 years. I couldn’t believe the time it took packing our belongings, throwing away what we couldn’t take with us, making critical decisions, and saying goodbye to a house filled with memories. I wasn’t prepared for the grief of letting go. It felt like a part of my heart was being torn out.

But God has a purpose in our transitions, moves, losses, and changes. He lovingly accompanies us, preparing new experiences and relationships on our new path. He composes the melody of our lives through each moment, weaving together joyous chords, minor melodies, pounding bass notes with drums, and sweet harmonies in our life song. At the same time, He uses what we give up or leave behind to bless others.

It was hard to leave my old home, but God revealed new insights to me that inspired me to write a poem. Read it below.

Melodies of the Home

Empty rooms and echoing halls once filled with

the music of laughter, voices, and footsteps.

Walls that were decorated with faces of loved ones’ smiles,

are now bare, with only the years of memories soaked inside.

Oh if these walls had voices, the ballads they would sing

If the floors were instruments, the rhythm of life would be a symphony

First the bouncing beat of babies and toddlers

Full of giggles and teary-eyed cries

Boo boos being kissed and bedtime stories retold

Next the chaotic cacophony of schoolbooks and

choruses full of chatter, chiding and cheers,

Interspersed with descants of backyard picnics,

Refrigerator Picassos, piles of laundry, and insatiable appetites.

As the family grows into the teen years, the symphony reaches a climax of

the dichotomous joys and challenges that accompany emerging independence,

Ending with a mournful melody interspersed with harmonies of joyful expectation!

This home embraces the many memories and movements carved into the

walls and floors from each season of life,

But just like seasons, houses change, families grow up and move on.

This house now silent, cleaned spotless, swept clear of generational legacies,

Becomes an empty score for the composition of a new family chorus.

God bless this home, the tunes that dwell within, and the harmonies of a new song.

Now, think about the changes you're going through. Maybe it's not about moving out of a house, but something else is changing. What's the tune of your transition? Is it a mournful melody or filled with joyful chords? What's there to appreciate in the midst of these changes? What life lessons can you take away from this experience? Look for a glimmer of hope!

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

You are the composer of our lives. You see our past, and you know our future. You know how we will respond when we encounter changes and seasons. Help us to see the joys amid the losses, the hope instead of the fear, and cling to your faithfulness through it all.

In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Seasons Change” by Crystal Lewis. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Peg Arnold, Speaker/Author/Teacher is a Drama Queen for Jesus. 

Her vibrant, interactive, and soul-stirring messages encourage all to embrace their God-given value. As a mom, wife, nana, mentor, with a master’s in counseling, she connects on a personal basis by sharing her joys and challenges of many life experiences through her dramas, messages, and witness. Whether talking with a friend over coffee or addressing hundreds of people at a conference, her passion for equipping women is contagious.

She has published devotions on YouVersion and in The Upper Room. In addition, she has contributed to two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, three anthologies, numerous articles, and blogs. Her devotional, Devotions for the Distracted Heart, received a 2022 OASIS award.

Peg desires everyone to know that their story is important and has a purpose. She grew up in Michigan and raised her family in Maryland. Later in life, Peg and her husband relocated close to their family in Colorado.

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Connect with Peg:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arnoldpeg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pegarnoldwow
Website: https://pegarnold.org/ Get some freebies when you visit!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51V_iWr0RfGAQvQnWVXEoA
Devotions for the Distracted Heart blog: https://pegarnold.wordpress.com/
YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/22261-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Holiday YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/28680-holiday-devotions-for-the-distracted-heart
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/wonderofwomen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/peg-arnold-wow

True Love Stories: An Unlikely Romance

"For the First Time," a sweet song Jane performs when she realizes she's in love with the wild and wonderful man named Tarzan, is what comes to mind when I think of today's true love story.

Tarzan, the musical, opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York on May 10, 2006. However, about four years prior to this play premiering on Broadway, God was moving behind the scenes to orchestrate a theatre-worthy real-life romance that was as swoon worthy as it was unlikely.

"An Unlikely Romance" is the true love story of Brandy and Jeff Bruce. It's a beautiful testimony of what can happen when you let God write your love story. Brandy and Jeff will celebrate their 12-year wedding anniversary tomorrow! So after you read their story, be sure to congratulate Mr. & Mrs. Bruce in your comments. 

Enjoy!

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An Unlikely Romance
Brandy Bruce’s true love story

We met in the alley between our jobs.

Not the most romantic beginning, I know, but there it is. Jeff worked at a furniture store in downtown Conroe, Texas and I had just started working at a title company. Every evening at five o’clock I drove down the alley, past the furniture store. After a couple of weeks, I started to notice one of the delivery guys outside around five o’clock every day, inconspicuously sweeping the dirt.

Now if Jeff were telling this story, he’d probably pause here to include my dad.

For the first couple of weeks, Jeff thought I was dating my dad. It’s true. My dad was a patrolman for Conroe P.D. and the police station was right by the title company. So he’d stop by to see me, sometimes bringing flowers (specifically on my birthday) or donuts (my dad is awesome like that). So Jeff saw this 6’3” guy in uniform (carrying a gun) visiting me. What was he to do? Well, he could always have his boss call the director of the title company to see if his new employee was dating that cop who kept stopping by. Because that wouldn’t be strange at all, right? Yep, that’s what he did. Next thing I know, Jeff is stopping me in the alley after work and asking if I’d like to have lunch sometime.

We found out that we had mutual friends at this point, which you would think would be helpful in getting to know each other. But you’d be wrong. My friend Colleen was dating Jeff’s BFF Larry. At first Colleen told me she didn’t really think Jeff would be a good person for me to date. THEN she changed her story and said that Jeff would be a great person for me to date! I finally decided that a lunch date was pretty harmless. So I told Jeff I’d meet him for lunch.

Jeff is a pretty quiet guy. But not on that first date. Over chicken tenders and honey mustard sauce, I listened to this guy tell me his life story. I realized that our backgrounds were fairly different. I’d grown up in a very strong Christian home. Church, faith and a loving, peaceful family had made up my childhood experience. Jeff’s parents divorced when he was fourteen and he’d experienced a lot of things that I hadn’t. I just listened as he told me that he had made some major changes in his life recently and was now going to church with his friend Larry. (Also the church I attended! It’s a big church.)

I appreciated his openness and his honesty so much and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed our conversation. Then I had to leave the restaurant to make it to my orthodontist appointment on time (did I mention that I was just a young thing of 19 and Jeff was 22?). On the way to my appointment, I couldn’t stop smiling. I really liked this guy. So we kept dating. He met my family. I met his dad and his sister Jamie. Christmas came and Jeff ended up spending the holiday with my family. Everyone liked him, and I was crazy about him. I was leaving for college in Virginia in January, so we said we’d keep in touch during that semester apart. My dad drove me from Texas to Lynchburg, Virginia. I remember that we had breakfast together the morning before my dad had to leave for Texas. He asked me how serious I was about Jeff. I looked straight at my dad and said, “I’m going to marry him.” My dad looked back at me, nodded, and said, “Really? Well, all right.”

I knew in my heart that I would marry Jeff. I didn’t know when, but I knew it would happen. God had drawn Jeff to Himself before He brought me into his life and then God brought us together. I was there the day Jeff was baptized at our church. Honestly, God wrote our love story.

We talked on the phone every single day while I was in Virginia. But after that semester apart, Jeff decided to move to Virginia so we could be closer. He drove up to Lynchburg and found a job and an apartment with some roommates. And I realized how much he loved me, that he’d change his whole life to be with me. We were engaged a year after our first date and married three years later (right after I graduated). 

We’ll celebrate our 12-year wedding anniversary on February 8th. Our journey together has been exactly that—a journey. And God has been with us every step of the way. He’s still writing our love story.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Brandy Bruce was scribbling stories in spiral notebooks by the age of 12. Her love for books never left her. She graduated from Liberty University, married the one person she could never get enough of, then started working as a book editor for a publishing house. Brandy and her husband, Jeff, live in Colorado with their two children.

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Recipe for Love book blurb: Overworked chef Jeremy has ordered up the perfect vacation: a fly-fishing getaway and some much-needed alone time. But when he arrives in the Colorado mountain town, he's immediately captivated by the lovely proprietor of the bed-and-breakfast, not to mention her young son. 

Alison Taylor still mourns her first husband even as she fights to keep their shared dream of a B and B alive. But there's no denying that she and her big-city guest have all the right ingredients for something special. Will this star-crossed pair realize that second chances can happen…if only they'll let them?

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Buy Brandy’s book Recipe for Love:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/16Jmhdn

BarnesandNoble.com - http://bit.ly/1C3WlDF

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Connect with Brandy:

Blog- http://brandybruce.blogspot.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/brandybruce