I certainly did a few years ago, after almost losing my real estate company during the recession. I was consumed by making money, and to be frank, the only joy I experienced was in closing sales. Sadly, my days were not spent enjoying fulfilling relationships with my family, friends, and community. How had I reached this point in my life? To the outside world, I looked like I had it all figured out, but inside, I was devoid of emotion. I felt more like a zombie than a living human being.
One day, in sheer desperation, I cried out for God to give me back my joy. His answer wasn’t what I expected: I was to write a book called God Gave Us Wings to empower others to move past their fear into faith. Astonished, I thought, God, I’m not the one and began negotiating with Him. That was my first mistake: you never, ever try to negotiate with God!
The next thing He communicated was that Oprah Winfrey’s life story was to be included in my book. Now, I thought, Really? Is this a divine mission or the devil playing a joke? I totally dismissed the idea and laughed it off, believing the whole thing was just a figment of my imagination. That was my second mistake: you never, ever laugh at God!
That morning, I carried on with my daily routine, which included taking a shower, and as I did, I chuckled to myself again, wondering how on Earth I would ever get to meet Oprah. I would have a better chance of meeting the president! That was my third mistake: you never, ever question God!
The very next thing I heard from deep inside was, I AM! As you can imagine, I fell to my knees, crying hysterically, yelling out, “Yes…yes…You are!” Thank goodness I wasn’t in the bathtub, or I might have drowned!
Fast-forward to now: I’ve met Oprah, and she gave me her blessing to include her story in the book. If I had not listened to my inner voice that day, I would not have been able to write this book on how you can move past your fear into faith to accomplish great things in your life, too!
God shows up and shows up big!
Make sure to pre-order God Gave Us Wings by Connie Rankin available at the retailers below.