The Relentless Nudge
Have you ever experienced “the relentless nudge”? It is a nagging feeling or thought that you should do a certain something. It’s usually something that doesn’t make sense or something that is out of your comfort zone. The relentless nudge doesn’t give up easy, no matter how you try to reason yourself out of it. It can pop up strong over a short period of time or more gently over a longer period of time.
The relentless nudge has a name: the Holy Spirit. It’s much easier to think of it as the relentless nudge. I can justify ignoring a nudge, not so much the Spirit. However, I have managed to ignore or rationalize my way out of it at times. Afterwards, I feel disheartened and dejected. I got my way, but there’s a nagging feeling that I missed out on something great. I ultimately lost.
Several years ago, I experienced the relentless nudge in a unique way. The nudge was urging me to call someone and ask her if she’d like to meet for lunch. I had actually experienced this same exact nudge a few weeks before that, but had managed to talk myself out of it. This time I tried all the same excuses. “It’s rather late for lunch.” “She’s probably already eaten.” “Why would she want to eat lunch with me?” “She’s at work.” However, the nudge would not relent. I felt this was something I needed to work up the courage to do.
Finally, I picked up my phone and gave her a call. She had already eaten and was out for a walk. I wanted to tell God, “See! I was right. There was no use in calling.” However, she went on to say that she would meet me at a restaurant near where she was walking so we could talk. She wanted to talk.
I got my food and we sat down at a table. She told me that on her walk, she asked God for someone to talk to. There was much going on in her family’s life. It was overwhelming. She cried out for someone safe in whom she could share her burden. Then, I called. At our quiet corner of the restaurant, she poured out her heart to me, the difficult circumstances, the heartache, the questions. I listened. She didn’t need answers from me. She didn’t even need my input. She needed an ear, a shoulder, someone to let her know she was not alone.
As I left our lunch meeting, I was overwhelmed by a sense of humility and honor. I felt so honored that God would call upon and entrust me in that moment of need. It was an amazing moment. The experience reinforced in my soul that great things happen when we yield to the relentless nudge. If we manage to ignore it, we lose out on something wonderful.
Sometimes the nudge comes for one specific purpose, and if we ignore it, the opportunity passes. I have a few times that I deeply regret my inaction. I can’t turn back the clock and see what God would have done. Other times, I honestly believe that the Holy Spirit nudges us in such a way to prepare us for when the time is right. Remember how my nudge to meet for lunch was not the first? I experienced nudges to start writing a blog a couple of years before circumstances changed to the point that I was able to write regularly. My husband, Kevin, felt God was calling him to deliver the message, “God loves you,” to a man whose infant had died. Kevin experienced the relentless nudge for weeks. Finally, he approached the man and gave him the message. The man wept. Kevin confessed that he had withheld the message for weeks. The man replied, “You know, if you would have told me any earlier, I would not have listened.”
How can you tell if it’s the Holy Spirit? The nudge is usually out of your comfort zone and odd in some aspect. Also, the Holy Spirit nudges us in ways that demonstrate to others that they are not alone. He wants us to know that He is with us and that there are others to stand with us as well. The relentless nudge can prompt us to approach those we know, those we haven’t heard from in years, and total strangers. Please, don’t ignore or reason away the nudge. You will be amazed how God uses you in the lives of others. God wants to involve you in His work. His desire is to radiate His love through you.
Scripture to consider this week:
Acts 9:1-19
Hebrews 11:1-12
Hebrews 3:1-15
Romans 8:5-14
Romans 12:1-16
Originally posted April 29, 2019.
Thank you for this Heather. You just helped Holy Spirit nudge me a little more.
Ha! The Holy Spirit can be relentless and will use all kinds of formats to nudge. Surprise! I must admit, sometimes I need more than a few nudges. More like a shove. Thanks for sharing with me, Amy.
Amen! Thank you for obeying the nudge to write. ❤️
It was and still is outside my comfort zone! Ha! I wonder if that will change. Thanks for the note and ❤️, Mary. ☺️
I have had nudged and one that still haunts me to this day. Such a missed opportunity. Now I try to always keep myself open when those nudges present themselves. One day I was in my car in line at the Starbucks drive thru. I looked into my review mirror and was drawn to the woman’s face in the car behind me. She had a young child with her & I could tell she was having a bad morning and her little boy was crying. She looked like she was ready to cry herself. Something keeped nudging me to pay for her purchase.. When I got to the window I asked what the car behind me was getting it was hot chocolate for her little guy & yogurt. I told the I waitress to add on 2 protein boxes & a coffee for the mom & I charged my bank card. I don’t know if it helped her just a litt!e bit but I sure fe!t so good about it. Another time was so different. I was at the salon getting my hair done & there was an elderly woman with tears in her eyes & I kept feeling nudged to say something. I asked my hair dresser if she was ok & she said she had lost her husband the month before & the woman kept looking at me. Come to find out my hair dresser had told her that I had lost my husband and this elderly woman wanted to ask me a question. I got up and sat down next to her and asked her if I could help. She said my husband is gone and he had a Pringles can next to his chair & she wants to leave it there cause it comforts her but her daughters keep telling her to throw it out. Her one daughter was there. I told her then leave it there. I told the daughter that I had been there about 15 years ago & it doesn’t hurt anything except to help her heal. Later that night I prayed for her & it came to me that God uses us through our trials to help others.
Haunted… such a great word. Very true. What meaningful experiences! There are times where we have no idea what comes from following “the nudge.” Such was the case for you in the drive-thru. I hope God reveals the other side of the story to us on the other side of life. God does use us to bring hope and comfort. Thank you God for including us in Your work! Thank you Susan for sharing your experiences. I just love reading how God pulls us into the lives of others!
This has happened to me many times in my life. One day as I was running errands, I was “nudged” to go by a friend’s house. It was only 8:00 a.m. and my friend is not an early riser. I resisted at first, but the feeling was so strong that I drove to her house. She answered the door crying. She was going through a serious illness and needed someone to pray with her. We spent time together praying and we both felt uplifted.
One day I was shopping with a friend for a dress for my son’s wedding. There was a lovely pink dress on sale at one shop. It was not my style at all, but I felt drawn to the dress. As I purchased the dress, my friend laughed and said you will never wear that dress. She was correct. I hung it in my closet and wondered why I had purchased it. About a year later, I reconnected with a friend from junior high school that I had not talked with in over 25 years. She had cancer and was very weak. Her son was to be married soon and she needed a dress, but had no energy to shop. She told me that she could picture what she wanted. It was a pink dress, ankle length with pretty embellishments. She perfectly described the dress that I had purchased earlier! I was shocked to find out that the dress was her size. I quickly mailed it to her and she was elated. It was just what she had pictured! God is amazing!
Thank you so much for sharing! It brings tears to my eyes to see how God works. The nudge doesn’t make sense, does it?! Too early at a friends house… a dress you’ll never wear… circumstances that you can easily rationalize your way out of but the nudge is strong and persistent. God is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your experiences with “the nudge.”