Jen’s Gem:  Don’t miss God.

I don’t know how to wink. As much as I try, it results in both eyes shutting and me looking pretty silly. Winks are cool and people who can wink are even cooler – perhaps because I can’t do it!

Years ago in my corporate days, I had to coordinate a large customer event. I’d never done anything like this. There was a lot hinging on it as my manager told me that if it went well, I’d finally get the promotion I’d been seeking.

During the final dinner, as I walked from table to table ensuring all was well in our customer’s worlds, my manager and I locked eyes and…he winked at me. It was in that moment that I knew the promotion was mine.  When customer satisfaction surveys returned, with comments like “This was the best event we ever attended,” I placed the order for my new business cards.

This week I received what I considered to be a God-wink. What’s that you may say? A God-wink is defined as an an event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer, according to Wikipedia. (Yeah, I know, but it’s not in Webster’s Dictionary…yet!)

I was pondering why some people have more common sense than others, that is, they seem to have a “secret sense” and are able to avoid the normal trappings of poor decisions. That very evening, I attended a Bible study at my church and our pastor taught on the book of Proverbs.

He described the book as being full of wisdom, practical advice for everyday living, “common sense” tips for us to be able to walk out our faith successfully. Hmmm…

Common sense. Now there is no way he could’ve known I was pondering this hours earlier.

Was God confirming/answering my question? Was He pointing me to re-read the book of Proverbs? When the study was closing, our pastor encouraged us to do just that.

As I lay awake in bed that night, an idea came to me. What if I did an online study of the book of Proverbs? There are thirty-one days in December and there are thirty one Proverbs. Seemed a no-brainer!

The next morning, I was excited to begin, then…

“You can’t do this!” was the resounding message screaming at me, although there were lots more to back it up. Within minutes, my excitement and confidence turned to doubt. But then I muttered three little words:

“Shut up devil!”

Shortly after, I recorded and posted my first video on my Elevate the Day Facebook page.

You see, the devil loves to keep you down, have you play small, and ignore God’s plans for your life. He loves it when we live in doubt and fear, when we question our every move and then twirl in confusion, questioning or ignoring the God-winks that He sends to us.

This tactic is as old as time. It worked with Adam and Eve and it’s still working. That one seed of doubt he planted in Eve’s head (Did God REALLY say you can’t eat of the tree of knowledge?), has multiplied for generations leaving people with the biggest regret on their death beds. “I wish I would’ve…”

I don’t know the outcome of my videos, but here’s what I do know. I asked God a question and He provided the answer. An idea came to me and I’m doing it. Whether the videos fall on deaf ears or are watched by millions, it doesn’t matter.

God winked at me and that’s better than any ol’ promotion.

Is God winking at you today? Are you paying attention? Take a look at these tips to see how you can spot the next one. Click here now.