The Whispers of God: Remembering My Life, and When I Heard God’s Voice

By Claudia Gonzalez

There is a whisper that cannot be heard but by the one it was meant for. There is a smell that will take you back to the first time you ever took a whiff. There is a feeling of a touch that can only be described as affection. These are the moments I want to remember for the rest of my life. These are the places God has taught me more about my value than anywhere else.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973656418

Claudia Gonzalez

Claudia is a mother and wife of an extraordinary family. Together with the support of her husband and daughters, Claudia has fostered seven children, participated in reunification of several families, and counseled biological parents as they navigated some of the hardest seasons of their lives. “Being able to love broken families and stand in the gap for many who have felt unloved feels like a full circle moment for me. God brought me out of brokenness to help lead others out of theirs as well. I am truly grateful for these opportunities to serve and love people.” She is the head of Journey Women at her church and has a deep heart for evangelism and bringing women to the Lord. Her desire is that all would know the love Jesus has for them regardless of their situation or past circumstances. Her life is extremely normal and she raises her three daughters to love Jesus first, and people second no matter what. Her passion for women and people prove that with God, healing is possible no matter what we have already walked through.

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Copyright © 2019 Claudia Gonzalez.

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-5640-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5639-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5641-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902741

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/20/2019

To my parents

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1   The Rain

Chapter 2   The Shoes

Chapter 3   The Slap

Chapter 4   The Dream

Chapter 5   The Piano

Chapter 6   The Rebellion

Chapter 7   The Race

Chapter 8   The Cup

Chapter 9   The Playground

Chapter 10 The Shipwreck

About the Author

PREFACE

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10 NASB)

I saw a woman at work, wearing a lovely spring dress. She was walking around almost as if she were floating. She had a smile on her face and a bounce in her step. She had a grand and cheerful word of hello to everyone who came by her, and it just made me feel so happy! I could tell from the way she was swishing her skirt back and forth as she walked down the hallway that she felt happy and beautiful. It was delightful. It made me wonder, what if we could walk this way every day? What if the invisible garment of who we are was so unmistakable that it influenced our minds and hearts to almost dance, swishing down the hallways of our lives? What if that joy spilled over into all those around us? What a valuable gift we have to put on display for all the world to see! I think people would believe you more quickly that they have value, if you were also convinced that you personally have value. It’s hard to convince someone of something you don’t personally believe.

God has created us to wear His garments of salvation so that everyone else can see it. Day after day, He washes us anew and makes us whole. There is even greater news! He doesn’t just leave us new and whole and valuable, assuming that we will figure it all out. He reminds us we are valuable and shares words of hope and future for the value He sees in our life. Life can be messy, slouchy, comfy even, in sweats and jammies. But no one swishes around in their jammies. We snuggle away and hide from the world. Often our circumstances can be anything but joyful, and the garments of our lives feel like they have more holes of exposure than coverings of color or joy. I have to admit, there are times I just really love that comfy sweater with all the holes and threads hanging everywhere. I would never wear it out because that would be rather inappropriate. God has not called us to live a life hidden away. It feels good for a bit, but eventually, we must live some sort of public life. We must walk the hallways of life. We must see other people and seek other people. Jesus did not come to the world to hide away and never be seen. He stuck out. We are often tempted to cast aside the royal garments that God has given us because sometimes they come with responsibilities and lots of eyes looking at us with questions and doubts.

The beauty of how God has clothed us in Him never wears thin. It doesn’t get tattered and threadbare. God’s word says His mercies are new every morning. It says we are to put off our old self and be renewed daily. He encourages us to not trade the value He gives us for anything else.

The love of our great Father offers us a life covered with garments made of the most beautiful words. God’s words are woven together through the Holy Spirit, through the Bible, and through the body of Christ for us to wear joyfully as we walk down the aisles of our lives.

I do hope that you will swish down the aisles of your life with great beauty, knowing that you have the best Father who speaks directly into your life and clothes you with garments of great value!

CHAPTER 1

THE RAIN

I t is raining right now. I love it. I love the way the air feels when it rains. I love the sound of the rain. I love the hush and stillness of the rain. When it rains, it seems like the world slows down. There is a need for staying in and not rushing around; no pounding the ground and being loud. It begs for a soft blanket and a noiseless room near a rooftop or window so you can listen to it fall and bounce off the surface.

Being a wife, a mother, and a woman on the go, it is rare these days that I actually get to enjoy the rain. Life moves, and those around me don’t always feel the same way I do. I have a deep desire to be still in the rain. When it rains, I just want to cancel all my plans and just sit for a minute. Don’t you feel that way sometimes?

When I was young, especially at night, I remember leaving my window open during the rain, willing sleep to come and wash over me. The sound of the rain, the feel of the moisture in the air, like a