Tag: god

New Year…New Gifts

Published on by Kimberly NovakLeave a comment

Happy New Year Everyone! I am so grateful for the gift I have of being able to act on my passion for writing for God’s Glory! Each December, as the new year approaches, I reflect on my “word of the year” and how God used it to inspire my writing, thoughts, and actions.

In 2023, my word was Blessing. God certainly delivered blessings upon me in so many different ways. Family interactions, conversations I had in sharing Bella’s Beautiful Miracle, meeting new friends, and reflective time spent strengthening my relationship with Jesus. Those connections provided me with a beautiful list of writing prompts and topics for discussion. Some of which were directly inspired by family or friends. In other instances, I knew the Holy Spirit was the catalyst in developing specific articles.

The year wasn’t perfect; Jesus said we would endure tribulation. (“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”) John 16:23 NIV.

The blessing in each moment of difficulty was that God saw me through. I had moments where I surprised myself by going above and beyond what I thought I could handle, allowing God into the moment, and finishing strong! I also had moments when I thought I knew better than God, did what I wanted, and fell flat on my face. The blessing was that God held my hand in the good and lifted me when I fell.

When I choose a word for the year, I connect it to a song or prayer. In 2023, my selected song was I’m So Blessed, by Cain. A song that not only reminds you to see the blessings in everything, but the upbeat rhythm also gets you up and dancing!

All in all, my word for 2023 was a great reminder that there is always something to be grateful for. I learned to look for hidden blessings when things got rough and how to illuminate the blessings in the good times. Those are the ones to look back on when you feel down or anxious about anything.

I am excited to see what this next year will bring, and I look forward to God’s blessings and gifts. My word for 2024 is Gift (“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.) Proverbs 18:16 NIV. Having a passion to contribute to the community of Christians and believers brings me into the presence of God! A place I continually want to be! I have not yet found a correlating song; more is to come. 

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Never being a fan of long-term goal setting, in 2024 I will do my best to enjoy every moment, which is a gift from God. I’d like to complete a sequel to Bella’s Beautiful Miracle and continue with my various ministries. I’m open to God’s call toward whatever he needs me to be or do. I hope God is content with where He has placed me and thrilled at the thought of new adventures in Christ!

I hope my writings have helped turn you toward God and nurture your walk of faith. I pray for your intentions and ask God to pour His Blessings and Gifts upon you! 

Many Thanks and Blessings for your readership!

Kimberly

A Christmas Message

Published on by Kimberly NovakLeave a comment

Hello, subscribers and readers of Kimberly Novak, Out of The Chrysalis, and A Little God Time,

I’ll keep this short and sweet as I’m sure you, like me, are still in the throes of holiday madness. Whether baking cookies, package deliveries, shopping must-haves, or fighting with wrapping paper, we must keep our eyes on Jesus!

As we celebrate Christmas, we should remember that it’s all about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, whose birth we commemorate. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the significance of having Jesus in our lives and what it means to live with Him in our hearts.

I wish you all a Blessed Christmas, and pray for each one of you and your families. Please contact me through the contact form or A Little God Time on Facebook if you need specific prayers.

Check out my latest article published on Catholicmom.com – A Child’s Prayer at Christmas

https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/a-childs-prayer-at-christmas

Reminder – The final round of voting is open for Cover of the Month – Click to Vote

Have a very Blessed Christmas,

Kimberly

A Prayer to Remember What Christmas Is All About

“Lord, I thank You for coming to earth so You could redeem me. When I think of the extent to which You were willing to go in order to save me, it makes me want to shout, to celebrate, and to cry with thankfulness. You love me so much, and I am so grateful for that love. Without You, I would still be lost and in sin. But because of everything You have done for me, today I am free; my life is blessed; Jesus is my Lord; Heaven is my home; and Satan has no right to control me. I will be eternally thankful to You for everything You did to save me! I pray this in Jesus’ name!” — Rick Renner

Praying Through Circular Thinking

Published on by Kimberly NovakLeave a comment

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“Well, I thought,” the three most dangerous words ever to enter my thinking pattern. Any word in the dictionary could follow that phrase, and I would still end up in the same place, making assumptions without all the facts.

One of the worst possible outcomes of any situation is assumed. It holds no merit because it never existed.  Oh, how my imagination loves to cook up the most unpleasant in even the best situations! To make myself feel better, I blame it on the creativity of the writer within me. In reality, it is the dangerous swirl of circular thinking that takes me down a dark winding road.

I do admit, on many occasions, this has had a negative effect not only on my mind but my overall well-being. A hazardous place to be is in a worrying state of mind, especially when one makes a habit of focusing on the same thought consistently.

Let’s make it clear that circular thinking does not include times when something needs to be mulled over or instances which require much thought before a decision is made. I am referring to those cycles when the thought patterns repeatedly make assumptions about a resulting outcome. “Maybe if I did this, then that would happen,” or “He hasn’t responded to my email, I’m sure I’ve made him angry,” and phrases of this nature.

I’m not a professional, but I believe many factors induce this thinking pattern. Societal influences, childhood memories, or having a nervous personality, to name a few. In my younger days, in high school, I developed an undeniable fear of public speaking. This was ironic because I had been part of a choir before high school. There were even times when I sang a solo. Yet, something triggered a genuine fear, a circular thinking pattern, when speaking before my peers.

The fear was so intense that I would take a zero on an assignment, not prepare, and skip the class. I had repeated visions, all made up in my mind, that whatever I was supposed to do would be a failure.  Another aspect of circular thinking is going back over something again and again. Now, it’s too late to fix my state of mind at 16. However, at my current age, I can face fear and flourish in it.

How I reacted as a young girl is a part of who I am today, and I would not change any of it. Is the fear still there? Absolutely! However, I am old enough to see it, face it and grow because of it. Over the last several years since becoming a spiritual director, I have had to laugh at where God has taken me.  Part of my ministry has evolved in speaking engagements, putting myself on video saying prayers, and having a passion for spiritual writing.

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So, what do you do when God places your biggest fear repeatedly on your path? You pray through it and conquer it. It is through these events that I have learned to remove fear from my mindset, all with my mighty God!  I’m not perfect; after all, it was in the act of circular thinking that this post originated.

Thoughts of this nature are going to happen. It’s in knowing how to shut them down where faith and growth play a part. The only circular thinking I allow myself to remain is knowing that I am in God, and God is in me! That phrase is one I will never tire of repeating!  God is in me, and I am in God!