MY HIGH PLACES ARE NOT FINISHED

 By Danelle Carvell

                                                    

I'm always amazed how my devotionals will offer just the right encouragement on just the right day. It is one of the ways God speaks to me. He knows what I'm going through and He wants to uplift me.

I'm spending this week as somewhat of a recluse. I feel the need to step away from all the things that are going on around me so I can absorb myself in God, saturate myself in His love, and learn more about His ways. It's the best answer when I need to refresh my mind from troubling thoughts and feel joyful energy again. Today, as I was sitting at my desk, something caught my eye outside my bedroom window. 

My front yard was alive with activity as about 30 birds hopped around in a feeding frenzy, pulling worms out of the withered grass and gulping them down. This cheerful sight lasted about five minutes and included three sightings of a beautiful red cardinal. The sight of those birds filled me with immediate joy because birds are one of the many ways that God speaks to me. 

By faith, I received that happy gathering at my bedroom window as a reminder of God's love. He sent a whole group of feathered friends to cheer me up, and it couldn't have come at a better time. It was my second group bird hug in a month. God has me on His mind because this year has not been good to me so far.

I plan to share much more about the ways God speaks to me in a future post. Today I want to focus on how God speaks through my devotionals and what I read today that inspired me to write this post. 

"When you're a daughter of God, you have so much to offer others. You're like a good book waiting to be read. The pages are filled with stories of what the Lord has done--how He's rescued you from sin, set your feet in high places, and given you hope and a future. Share your faith by sharing those stories with others. You'll leave them begging for the next chapter."

The above paragraph was what I read today in my devotional, Everyday Spiritual Refreshment for Women. After I read it, I sensed that God wanted me to share a story. So I pondered the many stories I could share. When did God set my feet in high places?  It didn't take long for me to think of three times when He did that.

When I was a single mother after my divorce, I was asked to be a staff writer for the Citizen Standard newspaper in Valley View. This invitation came after I sent some writing samples to the editor and they published some of my work. 

This new job made a big difference in my life. I had been working as a waitress at The Valley Inn and I did like that job, but my income wasn't great. Soon after I started working at the newspaper I bought a new car, a pretty blue Cavalier, which has been my favorite car. Unfortunately a lady pulled out in front of me at an intersection in Halifax and my car was totaled. But that's another story. 

During my time at the Citizen Standard, I made some great friends and I met so many people when I went out to cover stories. The only thing that held me back was my lack of confidence. I had so much to learn about writing for a newspaper and working with a team of creative people who strived to produce a weekly paper that we could be proud of.

When I was given a column that I titled, Life Lightly Salted, God set my feet in a high place. I used that platform to encourage people and to inspire them to make good life decisions. And then along came an offer to be a secretary at DCEMA, where the Dauphin County 911 calls come in. It was a bigger paycheck, so I left the paper and became a secretary.

The second time God set my feet in a high place was when I wrote for The Upper Dauphin Sentinel. I was given the freedom to write a series of articles about creative people. The artist series featured musicians, dancers, art teachers and artists from our local community. 

I loved that gig. And it earned me two Keystone Press Awards two years in a row. That's when I felt that I had finally arrived as a writer. I took my son with me to the awards banquet because I had dragged him back and forth to the day care at HACC as a boy, while I was  studying for a degree in print journalism. The award was a nod to both of us that the stress of those days had been worth the effort. 

And the final time that God set my feet in high places was when I became a speaker through the Lykens Valley Women's Connection. I was invited to be president of LVWC by someone who was stepping down from the position. That led to my time as a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries, which required a lot of travel. 

I absolutely hate traveling and the panic of being lost, not knowing where the heck I'm going. I had to depend totally on Him to give me the courage and to get me at the right place on time. It was a lesson in faith and stepping out of my comfort zone. I learned that some of the greatest, most rewarding experiences happen outside the comfort zone. 

If you want to grow in your walk with God, get yourself a good devotional and be faithful about reading it daily. God will use it to encourage you and remind you of all the times that He opened a door, rescued you from sin, set your feet in high places and gave you a future and a hope. A devotional is one of the many ways that God speaks to us. 

Often the reason we don't hear God is because we are not looking for Him and we don't take the time to listen. He doesn't come into our lives without an invitation. But when He's invited, your life will never be the same. Be prepared for your feet to be set in high places.