I've been posting and sharing and hollering in your ear about my new friend and co-host for the God Hears Her Podcast, Eryn Eddy. Now I get to introduce you to her writing! Read on as she shares how God hears her and how she hears from him as well. And check out her story in Episode #1 of God Hears Her!
Elisa
What Next?
By Eryn Eddy
I had $42 in my bank account and $75,000 in debt. I was lost, tired, and didn't know what was my next right step. So far, I thought I was taking the right steps, but they landed me here, in my small town's coffee shop, newly divorced, and nervous to buy coffee and an egg sandwich. I sat at a high-top table, going over my newly created spreadsheet looking for relief and direction. I had been praying that God would let me know if he could hear me. I was crying out in a desperate plea. I felt so alone and all of the things I was dealing with in life felt so incredibly heavy. To my surprise ... relief didn't look at all like I thought it would. It didn't come in the form of being debt-free or getting my credit score out of the tank. It didn't come from finally being in a healthy relationship or having a long list of people who supported me. Relief came when I quit being a slave to the shame of my mistakes. And when I forgave myself and all the people who made me feel unworthy and unloved. Relief was slowly and gracefully confronting my reality. It took a kind of bravery to face my struggle, but it was the only way to experience the weightlessness of relief. I learned that it takes courage to face myself and love myself through the process. Tucked in the corner of the coffee shop staring at my spreadsheet, the waitress dropped off the check. My anxiety prompted an inner accusation, "You have no money, you should not be here." I looked at the check to see what I owed and read: "Paid! Have a blessed day." As the waitress walked by I said, "Excuse me, there must be a mistake, I've not taken care of this check yet." She said, "I know but someone else has and you don't need to worry about it!" That day I knew God heard me. He prompted someone else to reflect his love for me. And I heard him back. While I know that not every day is a sweet moment where someone picks up the check in the coffee shop - God is more active and more present than we realize! Cry out to him: Lord I know you hear me, but I really really want to hear you. I want to be immersed in understanding how you think of me. Believing that you hear me, but more than that ... I want to hear you. I want to discover how to consistently live my life out of your truth hearing what your truth is. An uncontaminated truth. That I am so worth loving. This is how knowing God hears me and hearing from him works for me - every morning I tuck my phone away in another room, and I start off by praying: Jesus, I invite you into this. I want to learn to hear your voice. I ask you to astound me and make it so clear when you speak that I cannot deny it. I make coffee, listen to worship music, and invite him to share with me. Whatever he wants to share. And then I grab my computer and journal through the following questions:
What am I feeling? How are my mind, body, and heart?
What happened yesterday?
What do I feel heavy about? Do I feel guilty about anything? What do I need to surrender?
God, do you have anything you want to say to me,? What do you think?
Reflecting in this way helps me learn to hear the voice of God. And it helps me recognize that he is already showing up way more than I've ever realized, in the little areas of my life that I never gave him credit for. Living this out takes practice. My ways of learning to talk with God and listen for him might not be your ways. You have to find what works for you. Maybe it's nature walks, or slow mornings? Whatever it is, as you prioritize intimacy with God as a daily routine - see what happens!
Eryn Eddy is the founder and CEO of So Worth Loving, a lifestyle clothing brand. Eryn is the co-host of the God Hears Her podcast, with Elisa Morgan. Eryn and her work have been featured on CNN and MSNBC, as well as Southern Living and Atlanta Magazine. This creative enjoys oil painting and singing, and she's even had her music featured on MTV and VH1. Eryn is also an author and a speaker, and she calls Atlanta home. Connect with Eryn on Instagram, Facebook and at ErynEddy.com.