When the Message Keeps Repeating

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7, ESV).

It’s interesting how the short weeks can sometimes feel like the longest. Coming off an amazing four days of soaking up the sunshine and resting in the relationships God has placed in my life, I stepped into a three-day week of work anticipating to continue to build upon the message the Lord has been impressing upon my heart recently. In the midst of the week, I was met with resistance from the enemy in ways I certainly didn’t expect. A busy week at work, an uncomfortable encounter on a coffee run, and a vivid dream all left my heart feeling heavy this morning. After listening to a podcast and spending some time in quiet with the Lord, I carried out this dialogue with Jesus. It’s been a hard week, Lord. I’m exhausted, and I just don’t think I have what it takes to write today. You have been working in my heart, and maybe I just need to let Your words settle into my heart before I let go of them or share them with others. Though He may not have responded audibly, I say “dialogue” because God always has His own way of speaking to our hearts. We just have to be open to listening and looking for Him. As I was processing, I connected with a friend who knows my heart well. After a few exchanges, she reminded me how the Lord has always used words to speak to my heart when I’m struggling to allow His words to penetrate and settle there. So, here I am, prepared to share with you the message that keeps repeating.

One aspect of my job as a physical therapist that I often don’t fully appreciate is the opportunity I have to not only help my patients physically but to connect with their hearts as well. Ironically enough, it has been through my patients, and closest friends, that God has recently been connecting with my heart to remind me of the truths I so desperately want others to know about themselves. As I was working with a patient last week, whom I have known for a couple of years now, he unknowingly touched on a topic that has been so tender in my life over this last year. With a spirit of vulnerability, I shared some of my heart with him and, not unexpectedly, found myself a bit emotional. After a brief apology for fear of being “unprofessional,” this individual graciously thanked me for trusting him with what’s going on in my life and reminded me that “professional” is overrated. I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for the kindness and concern for my heart that this man displayed in that moment. A few days later, I exchanged messages with the wife of this individual who reminded me of the truth God desperately wants to settle into the depths of every single heart, but especially so in mine right now: I am seen, I am loved, and I matter. This gentle but powerful reminder has been resounding in my mind and heart ever since.

Fast forward to the next morning. I looked down to see that a friend had sent me a screenshot of an image that read: Just a reminder in case your mind is playing tricks on you today: You matter. You’re important. You’re loved. And your presence on this earth makes a difference, whether you see it or not. Though this friend and I text often, it is rare that she sends me screenshots of this variety. When I talked to her later that evening on the phone, she informed me that she simply felt like she should send it to me when she stumbled across the image on social media. Wow! Once again, the Lord stopped me in my tracks with this message.

As if that wasn’t enough, the graciousness and goodness of God showed up again the next day. This time it was a written story, shared via Facebook messenger, from another close friend of mine. With the message she wrote: Hey, Katie, I ran across this today and thought it was a good illustration about being valued…and treasured. Love you! If you know me or have followed much of what I’ve written and shared in the past, you know that the Lord often speaks to my heart through repetition. As I stepped away and read the brief story, the message that I am seen, I am loved, and I matter reverberated in my heart once again.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. A text message, a screenshot, and a story. When the message keeps repeating, I know the Lord is working. As many of you may know from your own personal experiences, in order for God’s truth to elicit a long-lasting change in the way we live our lives, we must allow the love of the Lord to travel from our heads and settle into our hearts. This is a process that’s much more complicated and difficult than we might think. Over time, I am learning that I don’t want to argue with or doubt a God that speaks to my heart in such a specific way. Because God formed me in my mother’s womb and knows my heart so intricately, I can know, in faith, the message is from Him.

After the long week, I found myself sitting in my living room enjoying the calm of the morning. In a quiet moment, I looked up and saw the mason jar on my mantle that was gifted to me months ago from my closest friend. I reached into the mason jar, switched on the strand of lights contained inside, and snapped this picture. After sharing the image with my friend, I decided to leave the light on all the time as a reminder of the constant hope we have in Jesus. As I have struggled with heartache this year, as I am sure many of you have as well, I have been learning what it looks like to live out Philippians 4:7, which reminds us that when we trust Him, we can lean on the truth that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.” When I pray, and those prayers seem unanswered, or the outcome looks different than what I expected or hoped for, I can choose to question God, or I can do what I am learning to do instead: tune my ears, turn my eyes, and open my heart to what God wants for my life. His ways are higher. His plan is better. He is always good. And I am confident, through messages that keep on repeating, I am going to allow His truth to settle into my heart that I am loved, I am seen, and I matter.