I hope you have been asked  “Where do you get your ideas?” Often I have after someone reads one of my quirky stories, humorous plays, or thoughtful devotions.  Let me give you an example of how a small incident can became a great story/devotion.

Years ago my apartment manager said, “I put angels above you to watch over you.”
“What?” I replied.
“Nuns,” he said. Later that week I introduced myself to the nuns and we soon became friends.

I was in a difficult place in my life, being forced to change jobs and was waiting for God to give me direction. He was slow in responding. I was sure I would miss his answer.

Saturday was my only morning to sleep late. I treasured my extra two hours of sleep. One Saturday thunder and lightning woke me at 6 a.m. Rain pounded against my bedroom window. The wind whipped trees branches against the building. In the height of the storm, despite booming thunder, pounding rain, and whistling wind, I heard a small bird chirping.

That’s odd, I said to myself. Birds usually hunker down when there is a storm. What kind of crazy bird is singing so joyfully in the midst of the storm? Then I had an epiphany. I realized, despite the noise in this world from people, machines, cell phones, and TVs, when God speaks, His voice will be as clear as that bird’s was in the storm. I will recognize God’s voice despite the tumult of this world

When I related my revelation to the nuns, one said, “Only a Christian would see this as a message from God. Others would just say it was just a crazy bird.”

A small incident but one that re-enforces a Biblical truth….God is always listening, and He will respond. We will know his answer when we hear it.  This week, when much to my chagrin our T-rex trap caught a rat in the attic, I thought of how we are all caught in our sins, crying to be set free. There was no hope for the rat, but we are saved through the blood of Jesus.  I might make this a devotion.

Even a simple item like a lost sock can stir the imagination. Perhaps it reminds you of searching for things of little value instead of searching the Word of God. Or perhaps a short story about a man who lost his sock on the way to his wedding, or a comical story about a sock eating washing machine.

Look around. Be observant. Watch people. Listen to conversations. Ideas surround you. Grab your pencil and write about one today.