I've been learning to recognize the different ways God speaks to me. For me, I believe that He speaks to me through my feelings and ocassionally, through a picture or a certain word. But most of the time, I believe He speaks to me by giving me a strong sense of certain things. I've figured all of this out while on my trip.
I guess whenever people say that they hear God, I'm expecting an actual audible voice. But that's not always the case. It just depends who you are, how you experience Him and that's how He "speaks" to you.
I love travelling by myself. I didn't have to worry about where to go, I can do anything I wanted. There were no set schedule and places to rush to. But one thing about travelling alone is the lack of communication. I've met some people, but most of the time, they don't speak any English. Anyway, the last day in Geneva, I was craving to have someone to talk to. It was the 7th day into my trip and I was just dying for a good conversation with someone!
As I walked out of the hotel and onto the busy street, I saw this girl standing in front of me at the stop light. I had a strong "sense" that she spoke English and she would be a good person to talk to. I thought about the possibility to talk to her, but it would just make me look like some strange, creepy girl. As we crossed the street, I had all these thoughts going through my head, like that it would be great if I could "accidentally" bump into her which will lead to having a conversation. All of a sudden, she stops at a ATM and I didn't have a reason to "accidentally" bump into her, so I just kept walking and walked to the nearest park to sit on the bench.
I love travelling by myself. I didn't have to worry about where to go, I can do anything I wanted. There were no set schedule and places to rush to. But one thing about travelling alone is the lack of communication. I've met some people, but most of the time, they don't speak any English. Anyway, the last day in Geneva, I was craving to have someone to talk to. It was the 7th day into my trip and I was just dying for a good conversation with someone!
As I walked out of the hotel and onto the busy street, I saw this girl standing in front of me at the stop light. I had a strong "sense" that she spoke English and she would be a good person to talk to. I thought about the possibility to talk to her, but it would just make me look like some strange, creepy girl. As we crossed the street, I had all these thoughts going through my head, like that it would be great if I could "accidentally" bump into her which will lead to having a conversation. All of a sudden, she stops at a ATM and I didn't have a reason to "accidentally" bump into her, so I just kept walking and walked to the nearest park to sit on the bench.
Ten minutes passed and I was still thinking about this girl. I was thinking to myself, "Ok, if she passes me, I'll smile and say hi!" I saw her, but she was 10 feet away and wasn't close enough for me to say "hi" in my normal tone of voice. I didn't want to yell either. That would really have scared her away. :) Then, I started thinking, "Ok, if she comes closer to the bench, I'll make my move." She started to walk toward where I was sitting and I was feeling excited and prepared myself. Then, all of sudden, she turned and walked the other way! I couldn't believe it. I was so close. Part of me said to go after her, but why would I do that? No way am I going after a stranger! I felt like I just lost a battle, but what could I do? I had to just set the feeling aside and move on. Then a strong "sense" came over me letting me know that I was going to meet her at L'Abri. I was like, "Yeah right. Out of all the people here, I'm going to meet her?! Whatever."
The day that I arrived at L'Abri, I met people left and right. By this point, I wasn't even thinking of her. Then she came into my room to introduce herself to me. That's when everything hit me. I asked her if she was in Geneva a few days back and if she stopped at an ATM machine. She said yes and I told her that when I saw her, I knew that I should have talked to her, but when the chance passed by, something told me that I was going to meet her at L'Abri. Turned out that she just arrived at Geneva that day and she was trying to get her bearings. She was also desparately in need of a conversation and told me that I should've went up to her!
The day that I arrived at L'Abri, I met people left and right. By this point, I wasn't even thinking of her. Then she came into my room to introduce herself to me. That's when everything hit me. I asked her if she was in Geneva a few days back and if she stopped at an ATM machine. She said yes and I told her that when I saw her, I knew that I should have talked to her, but when the chance passed by, something told me that I was going to meet her at L'Abri. Turned out that she just arrived at Geneva that day and she was trying to get her bearings. She was also desparately in need of a conversation and told me that I should've went up to her!
(Bethany, my new found Australian friend, and me.)From that point on, we were pretty much connected to the hips. She's there for the full 10 weeks and I miss her so much! We were an instant click and our friendship went to a level that usually would take months to get to! God brought us together for a reason and I'm glad He did.
From that experience, I've learned that God speaks loud and clear through my feelings/senses. I often disregard those things because I didn't think it had any value. But I've learned that on this trip that He "speaks" in many different ways (dreams, visions, words, etc...). Also, I've learned that we need to take the risk and just try it out. Throughout my trip, I've had a couple of instances where my senses/feelings just overwhelmed me to the point that I had to do something about it. I took the bold steps and the results were amazing. Now, I hold on to that and claim it. It's part of my intimate walk/relationship with God.
From that experience, I've learned that God speaks loud and clear through my feelings/senses. I often disregard those things because I didn't think it had any value. But I've learned that on this trip that He "speaks" in many different ways (dreams, visions, words, etc...). Also, I've learned that we need to take the risk and just try it out. Throughout my trip, I've had a couple of instances where my senses/feelings just overwhelmed me to the point that I had to do something about it. I took the bold steps and the results were amazing. Now, I hold on to that and claim it. It's part of my intimate walk/relationship with God.
How does God speaks to you?
More to come later...
