Explore Opportunities: Be Open to God's Leading
To encourage you to keep an open mind about where and how God might be leading you, let me share a personal story from my book, I’m Too Young to Be This Old.
“After leaving a hectic yet intensely satisfying teaching ministry, I found myself free to do something else that mattered a great deal to me—helping women in trouble. Even though I had no personal exposure to domestic violence, as soon as I saw an appeal for volunteers to help in a women’s shelter, I knew it was something I wanted to do.
“At first, I answered phones and helped in whatever way I could. Later, because of my background in leading small groups, I was asked to facilitate a support group for the women. Reading stacks of books on the issues involved in domestic violence and hearing one woman after another share her story of abuse left me shaken.
“Stepping into this foreign world forced me to grow. I heard language I’d never heard before. I found myself drawn to broken-hearted prostitutes and drug addicts who longed to be loved and cherished by someone.
“In that shelter for women wounded in body and spirit, God’s love for a lost world and for me took on new meaning.”
What has been the outcome in the years since that experience?
- I’ve been privileged to comfort and listen to many women’s stories—women in Christian communities in many countries.
- I grew in my awareness of how widespread this problem is.
- I studied Scripture and I’m eager to teach on God’s love for women and hatred of abuse.
- I learned how to advise women if they need to leave for their own safety.
- I speak to both singles and marrieds about ‘red flags’ to watch for in their relationships—and what to do about them.
Let's Talk: As you seek wisdom about where to serve God and others, ask yourself: Will I use my talents, expand my horizons, plunge into opportunities to grow, and break through fears and stereotypes that hold me back?You can write your response below—I’d love to hear it.
This post is part of my Daring to DREAM series. Click here to view all the posts in this series.
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Poppy SmithInternational speaker, multi-published author, Bible teacher, and spiritual coachInspiring Women to Thrive! Permission to use this article is granted provided the following credit is fully included.Poppy Smith is funny, warm, and passionate about helping women grow spiritually and personally so they experience the love and power of Christ in life’s ups and downs. A former teaching leader with Bible Study Fellowship, Poppy has a Masters in Spiritual Formation and ministers extensively as a retreat and conference speaker both in the US and around the world. For more information about Poppy’s heart, her books and ministry, please visit her website at www.poppysmith.com.