The View from My Window: A Walk with God

By Rachel Jolly West

Birds. Flowers. Flowering shrubs. Changing seasons. Changing skies. These can be seen outside author Rachel Jolly West’s window every day. It tells her creation is alive, and she realizes we may often take it for granted. In The View from My Window, West shares how it’s more than watching the neighborhood from the window. It is seeing creation through God’s eyes.

In The View from My Window, Rachel Jolly West offers a collection of stories that shares what she sees outside her window and how God speaks to her through nature. Have you ever seen your inner beauty through a gerber daisy plant? Have you heard God tell you the meaning of a fallen tree on your hike through the woods? Have you watched birds at a feeder searching for seed, and God opened your eyes to the spiritual experience and meaning?

In this devotional, West encourages you to sit on the porch, on the beach, at your favorite window seat, or wherever your comfort place is, and let God meet you and share his wonderful creations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664249271

Rachel Jolly West

Rachel Jolly West grew up in Clarksville, VA, and served as a recreational therapy director in a hospital and in a developmental center for individuals with intellectual disabilities. After retirement, she returned to Clarksville with her husband, Pastor Mike West. They have two grown children and several grandchildren. West enjoys gardening flowers and vegetables, kayaking, and any outdoor activities.

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Copyright © 2021 Rachel Jolly West.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living

Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale

House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4926-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4925-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4927-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021922835

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/10/2021

To God, who is the initiator of every message.

To those who will read this book and learn something different

about God; to those who will share this book with someone

who does not know God or who has questions about God;

and to those who will begin a relationship with God.

May God bless each of you immeasurably as you read and study!

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Section 1     Who Is God?

He Created Us

Are You the Spittin’ Image of God?

You Are Important!

Are You a Snowflake?

Hidden Beauty

He is Our Protector and Provider

In Us and Everywhere Present!

A Screen Full of Diamonds

Covered

Already in My Hands

Enough Just for Today

He Gives Us Strength

The Strength of Spider’s Silk

Beaten Down but Not Defeated

He Gives Us Peace, Hope, and Is Always with Us

Can We Have Peace in the Mess?

New Life, New Hope!

You Go First—No, You Go First!

Section 2     How Do We Respond to Him?

Trust and Focus on God

Stand Still and Experience God

Back Off, Devil!

Let the Water Roll

Stripping the Weight

There is Value in the Darkness

Two by Two

Listen to God

Listen

Feasting on What Fills Us

Traditions—Positive or Negative?

When God Talks, People Listen—Or Do They?

Helping Others

Just What a Person Should Do

Humble Ourselves and Serve

The Root of It All

Seek God

Are We on God’s Path or Man’s Path?

New Growth

Signs and Wonders

Searching for the Right Seed!

Look to Nature

That Brilliant Tree!

Jesus and the Jack-O’-Lantern

That Zoe Life

Does a Hair Color or Cut have a Spiritual Side?

About the Author

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

To my husband, Mike, who promised to be in this adventure with me and who has totally supported me in this endeavor, for helping to find just the right wording when I needed him, giving me encouragement when I doubted my skill at writing God’s messages, and taking care of cleaning up after dinner when I was too tired to do it! He is my superhero, and I am so grateful that God brought us together at just the right time to join in ministry.

To my two sons and their wives for their encouragement: John and Jess, and Chris and Lis. Thanks!

To my girl tribe who has prayed with and for me throughout this process of delivering God’s Word. Thank you to Betty, VJ, Carolyn, Jane, Dixie, Suzi, and Terry! I always know who to come to if I need an extra dose of the Word!

Preface

In 2018, I began writing the blog Simplify10—a Blog About Walking with God. I remember three things that God placed in my spirit about it:

1. Put all distractions aside. Simplify and focus only on me (God).

2. Write my thoughts just the way I give them to you (Rachel).

3. These messages are for all believers around the world.

God told me to simplify, focus only on Him, and stop trying to be so busy each day, taking care of other tasks first and leaving Him until last or until I could fit Him in. He wanted all of me.

This word, simplify, is not just for me or for this blog; it is for all believers around the world. God says to simplify our corporate worship and our time spent with Him by going beyond the programs or bulletins and by focusing only on Him. Let God direct our worship; let God direct our day.

That was in May 2018. At the end of 2020, I asked God how I could get His Word to more people. I maintain an email list of those who have signed up, and I also post messages on Facebook. Soon, I began seeing and reading articles on how to write and publish a book. After researching some publishing companies, I signed with WestBow Press, and now, here is this book. God has paved the way during the entire process. Every potential obstacle was overcome by God leading me to people who could help me or by leading me to the answers.

God is the source of every single message. I give Him all the honor and praise for sending this forth!

SECTION I

Who Is God?

HE CREATED US

image01.JPG40398.png

Are You the Spittin’

Image of God?

"So God created man in His own image; in the

image of God He created him."¹

When I was growing up, I enjoyed playing basketball in high school. It seems that I was pretty good. So when people saw my mom, they