A week before Christmas 2022, I felt a nudge on my heart to write a 30-day devotional on The Gift of Encouragement. It didn’t make sense on paper. I’m not an author. I work in the financial industry. I have Parkinson’s Disease and I tire easily; typing is a challenge because my hands shake. I’m not even good with spelling! But, I was so intrigued with the creative aspect- plus I never want to miss an opportunity to obey the LORD, so I explored further.
I have worked in marketing for the past 30 years during which time I have written hundreds of proposals, developed marketing materials, and managed copy, but not once have I written a devotional or anything like it. So, as I sat at my Apple I questioned this idea. It was such a creative and encouraging notion that I began to write (mostly out of curiosity). And, do you know what happened? It was as if the LORD was sitting in my dining room with me downloading stories and remembrances. It was an amazing experience. Stories about my life where he has helped me in times of trouble. Stories of my life where he reminded me of his provision. Stories of how others greatly impacted me and boosted my faith. Living proof of testimonies to his faithfulness and goodness.
Then it dawned on me. This is a gift, a gift that needs to be shared. It’s my calling. It’s my purpose to share the gift of encouragement. The gift is God-given. (Rom 12:7-8) I declared that day that I will encourage as many people as I can before I die. It’s not that I am an extraordinary person it’s that I serve an amazing God. The one true God.
It must have been 8 or maybe 10 hours of diligently typing the first few stories with scriptural references when I realized this was a big deal. Knowing the word of God, the Bible is the key to successful, joyful, abundant life regardless of your circumstances. It says in the Psalms “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19 NLT)
It was so encouraging to write this that I shared my God encounter or “the nudge” and “the download” experience with my husband, children, and parents. They could sense the magnitude and significance of this project just by my sheer excitement, and each expressed their support. My daughter said, “Isn’t it a shame that you’ve worked all of these years in the marketplace but you’re just now writing about God’s faithfulness in a devotional”. While she is partially correct, what cannot be revealed to each of us until later in life is the unmovable teacher Father Time. It’s taken me 54 years to live through significant joys and sorrows of life to experience first-hand the redemptive love and grace of a merciful God which has shaped who I am. In other words, I’m a late bloomer!
As the devotional concept came to a crescendo, it occurred to me that this is a ministry not just a book. At first, I was overwhelmed by the thought of starting a ministry of encouragement. I thought the “nudge” to write was just a devotional – a one-and-done. Isn’t God full of surprises? While this still doesn’t make sense on paper to me or in the natural. We serve a God that is supernatural.
That is how A Cheerful Heart Ministries was started. The gentle nudge of a loving Father in Heaven who delights over us and has sketched out a purpose-filled master plan for each of our lives.
