I’ll never forget this.  I was eight years old. My mom took my sister and I to spend a couple of days at my grandmother’s house in Columbus, Ohio.  I always loved visiting her.  She was the sweetest person that I have ever met. That still remains true today.  Her laugh, voice, and her smile was so soothing and healing to listen to.  She was the perfect example of God’s Love.  

On this particular visit, I had, what I believed to have been my very first
dream, where I had encountered who God is, and who I am with Him. Don’t miss that! I’ll say it again. In one dream, He showed me who He is and who I am with Him!

I was at a fair. My mom was volunteering her time as a pediatric audiologist (a person who provides support of individuals that have impaired hearing), by the way that is actually her profession.  It was a bright sunny day. There were lots of balloons, kids, parents, and other fun activities to do.  There was an area where you could visit animals.

They were in kennels. Sorry. I cannot stand the word cages. Anyway,
there was a huge tiger sitting in a kennel, which I thought was a little odd.  I
remember thinking, “Who allows a tiger to be a part of a fair with tons of
children?”   Yah, at eight years old that was my initial thought! Ha! The
families would walk by and look at it.  I saw it from a distance but I decided
to stay far away fearing the worst.  

While I continued to play near my mom’s table, all of a sudden,  I hear people
screaming. You guessed it!  Somehow the tiger got out of its kennel. It was
growling and walking slowly.  Everyone was panicking and running away.  I was
freaking out because I turned around, didn’t see my mom, and was unsure on
which direction to run in!   Next thing I know, the tiger starts walking towards
me.  I literally froze because I had no idea what to do.  The interesting thing is
that I wasn’t crying.  

Just as the tiger lunged forward, as in wanting to chomp my head off, I saw a hand above me drop down. The hand had a glow to it and there was a white cloud surrounding it.  I quickly jumped up, touched it, and smacked the tiger as hard as I could on its left cheek.  The tiger immediately shook its head, turned around, and went back into its kennel.  Whew!

I remember waking up from that dream amazed and inspired!  In attending
church with my family, I knew God loved me, and I prayed, but that dream was a
spark for me at eight years old! It was a personal connection!!!  I knew that God
saw me and He was willing to protect me at all costs!  That with Him I could conquer anything!  That was my very first personal encounter with God speaking to me.

Now, you might be thinking, how does God speak to me?  Do I know
that He speaks to me? Has He been speaking to me and I have just been
missing it? How do I know it’s Him?  Is Kia making this up from some crazy
childhood fantasy? Those are all valid questions. If you are new to believing
that God speaks to you, and can in a number of different ways, then I totally get
the hesitancy.

The very first step is believing that God speaks to you directly and can speak
to you through other people. Take a few minutes to reflect on your life.  Reflect
on your current and/or past circumstances. Think on the worst situations that
you have been in or are in currently. How did you overcome them?  How are
you overcoming them right now?   Do you have a sense that there was and/or is
always “something” with you?

If you woke up this morning and are reading this, God is not finished with
you. Period. He is speaking to you right now.  You are still living and breathing.
You have purpose:

Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord  
-Jeremiah 17:7
(Amplified Version)

For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM [whoever adheres to, trust in, and relies on Him] WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [in his expectations].”  -Romans 10:11 (Amplified Version)

I was eight years old and I believed that it was Him who spoke to me.  Can you believe that He speaks and is speaking to you?

I hope this story blessed and encouraged you! Honestly, I love sharing this story because it radiates and confirms how much God loves us! Don’t forget to share this!

Kia