When people say they hear God's voice, I always thought they meant they heard God's voice loud and clear in an audible way. I have never heard God speak to me In a physical, bold voice, so I always thought something was wrong with me. However, I've come to learn that God speaks to us in so many ways and I personally believe that hearing God in an audible voice may be one of the rarest forms in which we do. Hearing God's voice may be something more like a gentle nudge, a quiet reminder, peace in your soul, or a verse that suddenly speaks right to your heart. Regardless of how He speaks to you, the important thing to remember is that the more time we spend with Him, the more we begin to recognize His whispers.

One of the simplest ways to learn to hear God's voice is by having personal conversations with Him. Talk to God like you would your best friend - share your worries, your gratitude, your questions and even your frustrations. It's okay to question God if it's done in a way to better understand what is going on in our life and what we are supposed to be learning from it. The disciples questioned Jesus frequently when they were confused. He may not give us a clear answer right when we ask, but the more we talk with Him, the more clearly we'll know when He is talking to us. After sharing your thoughts and feelings with God, it's imperative to take a moment to pause, be still, and let Him speak back.

If you're unsure whether you're hearing God, don't be discouraged. Keep showing up. Keep listening. Keep leaning in. He delights in speaking to His children, and He promises that those who seek Him will find him. God may show Himself to you in the simplest ways including song lyrics, hugs from friends or family, a smile from a stranger, beautiful sunsets, reading scripture, a nudging feeling that won't go away or a visit from a friend you haven't seen in a while. Through my cancer journey I have had a few times I felt that God was making me aware of His presence. If I wasn’t paying attention, I truly believe I would have missed these personal conversations.

1. My parents had a friend from their church who felt it on her heart to give me a glass figurine of a bluebird. The bird was a symbol of happiness. I set the bird on my nightstand as a reminder to be happy in all things. After having my stomach removed in January and staying in the hospital for 10 days, I was so excited to come home and get to sleep in my own bed. When I woke of the very first morning in my own bed, I opened my eyes and saw a bluebird resting on my windowsill close to the glass figurine on my nightstand. I knew at that moment God was telling me it was going to be okay and that He had a hand in the story.

2. I had a dear friend I met on my cancer journey and although we never met in person, she meant so much to me. We used to message each other regularly. We shared our fears, our hopes, our medical updates and tried to keep each other inspired. Unfortunately, my friend lost her physical battle with cancer, which was very hard on me. Although, I had never met her three young daughters, I wanted to stay in touch with them, encourage them, and share with them how I admired their mother. I write them regularly even though I'm often am at a loss for written words. The day I found out my cancer was back, we stopped at the mailbox at the end of the street on our way home. That day, there was a card in the mailbox with unfamiliar handwriting. Come to find out, the girl's had written me back. I never expected anything in return from them but conveniently, this little surprise came for me on a day when I needed it most and was consumed with fear. The words written in the card were full of encouragement and prayers for me to heal. It was like a whisper from my friend in heaven that it was going to be okay.

3. One of the things that weighed heavy on me after being diagnosed stage 4 is that I hadn't had enough time on earth to be a disciple for God since becoming confident in my faith. I began to pray to God asking for my story to be meaningful and to use me during my time on this earth. One Saturday in particular, I had prayed for God to use me but that I was uncertain how. To my surprise, I received a text message that same day, from someone I had not met before, asking me to come talk to her girl's volleyball team about fear and anxiety. Apparently, my son's girlfriend had turned in a prayer request for me at a school volleyball practice. The coach said she had prayed over it and felt called to reach out to me to ask me to come talk to the team. Although I didn't feel quite ready, I accepted the invitation. Later that day I received a message from another acquaintance reminding me that God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. God absolutely answered my prayers and had a hand in these connections.

"We often miss hearing God's voice because we aren't paying attention." - Rick Warren