God can feel loud one season and silent the next, and that shift can mess with your confidence, your purpose, and even your desire to pray.
Sylvia Worsham sits down with Donna Kirkwood, author of He Is the Vine, to talk about what it really looks like to stay connected to Jesus when you’re tired, busy, grieving, or stuck in a wilderness season.
Donna shares how her faith grew over time, how ministry found her before she felt “ready,” and why opening a winery became an unexpected spiritual lens. We dig into the vineyard picture of spiritual growth: cultivation, planting, pruning, and learning that even good fruit sometimes needs to be cut back so better fruit can grow. If you’re a chronic “yes” person or a people pleaser, this conversation helps you do a heart check and get your life back in alignment with what God is actually asking.
We also get practical: returning to the last place you felt close to God, creating stillness in a 5 a.m. hour, and using a simple filter for discernment: does it line up with Scripture and glorify Him? Donna connects grief to the fermentation process, and she offers approachable Bible study tools like choosing a readable translation and using the SOAP method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). We even talk Christian marriage and what it means to put Christ at the center through daily choices and outserving each other.
If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who feels spiritually dry, and leave a review so more people can find the show.
If you want to connect or purchase ‘Donna’s book, visit her website at: https://donnakirkwood.com/ or on Instagram @ddkirkwood
To download a free chapter of host Sylvia Worsham’s bestselling book, In Faith, I Thrive: Finding Joy Through God’s Masterplan, purchase any of her products, or book a call with her, visit her website at www.sylviaworsham.com
Transcript:
If you’ve ever struggled with fear, doubt, or worry, and wondering what your true purpose was all about, then this podcast is for you. In this show, your host, Sylvia Warsham, will interview elite experts and ordinary people that have created extraordinary lives. So here’s your host, Sylvia Warsham.
I’ve still got a lot of fire left.
Hey Lightbringers, it’s Sylvia Warsham. Welcome to Released Out Review Purpose. And today is Donna Kirkwood. And she is here because she is the author of He is Divine. When I read her biography on Podmatch, it struck a chord with me because it is exactly the topic that I had been wanting to know more about. It’s in that stage of journeying with the Lord where we find ourselves wondering if we are on the right path, if what we’re doing makes an impact in the world. She has a ministry with her husband. I’m just honored to have her on this show today. So without further ado, Donna, thank you so much for joining us on Released Out Reveal Purpose.
Thank you. Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here.
I’m excited to have you. And I really want to understand how it is that you landed in this space. Were you always interested in being part of ministry, or did you start off somewhere else and then landed here because of something that happened in your life?
Well, honestly, I grew up in a family that my grandparents were Catholic, my grandmother was Methodist. We never went to church, really. And so I would go to church with friends here and there next door and just learn about Jesus. And my grandparents would give me tithe money to go, but put in the offering bucket, but I never really knew what it really meant to have a relationship with him. Uh, fast forward, my husband and I got married. We were still pretty much in the in the wild days of our marriage, I guess you could say, when our daughter was born. And we had a couple that we met through Mother’s Day Out. I had put my daughter in a Mother’s Day Out program to be able to have some space to myself during the day. And this woman just started writing notes on my daughter’s diaper. Hi, Donna. And I’d pick my daughter up and I’d be changing your diaper. And I’m like, this woman’s nuts. And so that was just kind of her way to draw me in. And we ended up finding ourselves at a potluck dinner one Sunday night at her church. We were young. I was always up for a free meal back then. And so we showed up and we met the pastor. And next thing we’re we’re going on Sunday mornings, we go on a mission trip. We get asked to lead the youth ministry. And I’m like, I don’t even know what a Pharisee is. And this man is letting me lead his youth ministry. And so we stepped into that. This pastor was just so kind. He would have us come to his class on Sunday mornings. So he was making sure that he was mentoring us and shepherding us well and teaching us everything that we needed to learn. And then he let us have the kids on Wednesday nights and the weekends. We actually fell in love with that. And that’s kind of where our ministry fell into place. And I can honestly say, even then, I wasn’t really seeking him in a way that I do now. It that developed over time. My my desire to know him more developed over time.
And then, and I’m fast forwarding quite a bit for time’s sake, but then several years ago, my husband and I, we’ve been in business for years, and we opened a winery. And that’s kind of where he is the vine kind of sprouted and kind of came into play for me, was just really when I started looking at a vineyard and what and how a vineyard and our lives actually correlate so well. God starts to cultivate things in our lives. Well, he cultives you got to cultivate a vineyard before you could get the land ready to produce anything. And then he starts planting, you know, the seeds and the things in our hearts and the same thing in a vineyard. You’ve got to plant the vine in order for it to take root. And then you go into it and the vines start blooming and they’re start doing all these things, but you got to prune back some of the things that the bushes and the weeds that come up into it, or even some of the good fruit on that vine that is produced in order to produce better fruit. And that’s kind of like our lives too. Like we go through things in our lives, and even the good things can get in the way of what Jesus is trying to do in our life. And so the only way to really make all of that work is by staying connected to him. And when those grapes stay connected to the vine and the vine to the root, and it all just goes into play. And I was very intrigued by how that worked. And so within that, our pastor joked around with me when we opened the winery and he said, You need to go in and do a Bible study where wine is found in the Bible. And I kind of laughed it off and I was like, I do not have time for that. I’m starting a new business. That’s not even on my plate right now. And it just started going into a deeper thought process of what does this look like? I’ve always wanted to write a book. I felt God put that on my heart about six years ago and probably longer now, I guess. And I, when she passed away in 2024, you know, I started kind of doing some deep work on myself. And I’m like, what is it that I used to enjoy doing? You know, I’ve been a wife, a mom, a daughter, a business partner, a business owner. I’ve been all the things. And I didn’t lose myself in all that, but I really wanted to go back to what brought me joy. Joy of the Lord is my strength that I know that. But but what are some of the other things that God has given me the ability to do that I found joy in? And so it was writing. So I found myself at a writing workshop that year. I was able to sit down, finally put my rear end in a seat and make it happen. And that’s what happened. That’s where he is the vine came about.
It sounds like you have had quite the journey with him because you started off not really understanding what relationship was like with him. Could we break it down for the listeners coming from that space? What you did to start cultivating that relationship with the Lord.
Sure. So when I really started looking at what does a relationship with him look like, that wasn’t until sadly, years after I’ve been in, you know, walking with him. I think there’s a huge difference in walking with him and that surrender that that he starts to put on your life. You’re like your life doesn’t instantly change when you become a Christ follower. It just doesn’t happen that way. He slowly plants different seeds and it’ll happen in different seasons. And so what I found for myself was that as my daughter got older, um, I realized that I wasn’t um wasn’t mimicking the life that I wanted her to be able to live. She’d see me pray and she’d see me, you know, pick up my Bible. We’d go to church, but it was probably she was probably in kindergarten. And I realized, you know, I found my first Bible study that I finally went to. I finally joined a women’s group, went to a Bible study, and they were doing a Bethmore study. And I started diving into the the questions at Bethmore. Um, I just fell in love with the way she explained it, the way she made it come alive. And I think we all relate to God in different ways, like some through worship, some through journaling, right? Some through prayer, some through reading strictly the the word of God. And for me, it’s when I can truly, when when somebody can break it down to me in questions and I can self-reflect on those things and then look at the word and say, see, am I applying that in my life? And so it just really became alive to me. And over the years, I continued to be able to expand that in just different Bible studies and different areas that I found myself in. And and now I think where I’m at currently in my life is that I I truly do want to live a life worthy of the calling that he has placed on me. And I find myself doing that by just trying to dive into areas and say yes to the areas that he wants to put me in. And then we go from there.
Have you ever found yourself in seasons of dryness, wilderness where you don’t hear him or feel him like you once used to? And if so, what have you done in that season to emerge on the other side?
Oh gosh, yes. Unfortunately, it happens more often than not because we live in a world where we’re busy and we allow even good distractions to get in the way of what he’s trying to do in our life. And so even my my prayer prompt this morning was was talking about this. And it’s, you know, if we’re not leaning on his understanding and we’re trying to do it in our own will, we kind of get disconnected for a bit. And I want, I don’t want to say disconnected in a in a sense that he’s gone, but sometimes I find that he doesn’t go anywhere we do, and we step away from the vine. And it’s even more important to stay connected to him. And so when I find myself in those seasons, I find myself asking, when did I feel the closest to him? And how do I get back to that? And so recently I’ve actually found myself in that over the summer. And my friend and I started talking about when did we feel the closest to God? And there was a woman that had started a program here in the Texas area called the Fives. And it was amazing. It was five days a week for five weeks at 5 a.m. And just getting up at 5 a.m. and she would send a prayer prompt. And for an hour, we just prayed over that prayer prompt, whether it was journaling, worshiping, whatever that would be. And it changed everything. And so I got back to that. I started waking up at 5 a.m. and just seeking the Lord for an hour in the quiet because I have found that, you know, you’ve got Martha and Mary in the Bible. I really believe I’m a Martha Airy because I do believe that he created me the way he did, but I need to learn to be still. And so that 5 a.m. moment for me is being still and with no distractions, no husband, no dogs, no emails, no texts, no phone. And it’s so that’s what I do, but that’s not what works for everybody.
That actually sounds amazing. And I’ll tell you why. Because in the wilderness season I currently find myself in, it I didn’t even know where to start because I had felt where he’s just quiet and I’m just lost in this wilderness, not really understanding what’s going on. And I was someone that got up every day at 5 a.m. without fail and opened up my Bible and started to pray and worship for an hour, an hour and a half, and before then meditation. So it’s gone in a process almost. But this last one was pretty tough. And I’m not sure if he’s refining or making sure I learn a particular lesson. How do you discern whether he’s refining or learning a lesson? And how do you get to that truth?
That’s hard. And it’s it’s like time with your best friend, right? The more you spend time with somebody, the more you know their voice. And if we tune them out, it’s harder to, or sometimes to be honest, um, there’s times that I don’t want to hear the voice of God because I I’m not ready for what He’s He’s wanting to tell me to do or ask me to do. But in those moments, I I stop and I ask myself, okay, is this of God? Does this line up with his word? Is it gonna glorify him? And if those all point to yes, then I just take the step. And sometimes I’m reluctant, sometimes I’m hesitant, sometimes I think, are people gonna think I’m insane? But if it does all those things, if it glorifies them and he is the one that that shines through it, then it’s what’s it gonna hurt? Right. So sometimes when I find myself in seasons of, God, is that you? Are you there? If it aligns up with his word and if it’s gonna make him smile, then I just do it. And then if it was him, I’ve acted in obedience. If it wasn’t him, I just made someone else smile and made him smile in the process. So it’s just taking that next step.
Can you point to a relatable example in your own life when this did occur?
And what were those steps that you took to kind of give more perspective to the ones listening who may be journeying through this wilderness?
Okay, this sounds really crazy. And it just happened the other day. And so when I wake up at 5 a.m., I sit in my little chair and I have my cup of coffee and I’m just kind of looking out my window to see what’s out there. And for the last few mornings, I’d see this one light shining across the way in another house. And I was sitting there and I’m like, so I just started praying for that house. I’m like, okay, God, you know, I don’t know what they’re up at 5 a.m. It was just really pressing my part heart to pray about for them. And I was like, all right, so just pray over them for their day, maybe whatever trials they’re going through. And so, and I just I left it at that. Well, then after my prayer time that morning, um, I felt I was supposed to go leave a little note on their door. And I was like, that’s ridiculous, God. Like, you know, I’m like in my mind, I’m like, is that me? Is that God? Like, why would God want me to put a note on their door? And so I’m like, all right, what’s it gonna hurt? And so I wrote out a note and it just said, hey, I noticed in my 5 a.m. hour that you were the only other light in the neighborhood on. And um, I prayed for you and I hope that y’all have a fantastic day. Um and I pray that whatever is happening in your life um today is something that, you know, God will intervene in wherever he needs to. And I don’t know if they thought that was creepy. I don’t know what it was. I put it on their doorstep. I have no idea if they even got it, but I know that I acted out of obedience. And I know that when I get a handwritten note or I felt like somebody thought about me that day and they tell me they prayed it over me. I rarely think it’s creepy. I really think it’s sweet. And so some seeds that we’ll plant will never see what happens. But and I don’t even know these people. So who knows where that’s gonna go. But I acted on obedience. I know that it made God smile and made me feel a little nervous and crazy, but we have to act out when we’re nervous because that’s where he does his best work.
And doesn’t it always say that when he trusts us with something small and we do it well, then he can trust us with something bigger.
Absolutely.
Yeah. And so I always think of those examples, the small examples, and say if and it could be a way of refinement, of refining certain things in us and discerning. I I know for me, I have I had a lot of questions based on what you talked about at the beginning of the interview.
You mentioned something about pruning even the fruit of that vine. Can you speak more about what that would look like in a person’s life?
Absolutely. So when you look at a vine when it’s growing, right, you have a clusters of grapes, and sometimes those clusters get so big that they overshadow the other grapes. And so then those grapes don’t get as much nutrients that that they need. So sometimes you have to cut off some of those grapes in order for the other grapes to get the nutrients that they need. And I think Lisa Turker says it best, I think, in one of her books, the best yes. For me, in the seasons that I find myself in, I get so busy saying yes to everything because I’m a people pleaser and I want people to feel like their cause matters or and I always want people to feel seen and loved by me. But what I find myself doing is I say so many yeses that even the good things that I’m doing are overshadowing or sometimes block me from being able to step into what God is calling me to because I’m so busy over here doing all the things that I think God wants me to do. So I’m not going to him to ask him, God, where do you want me to say yes? I’m just saying yes because I think it aligns with what he’s wanting me to do. And so I think we get things out of alignment by not seeking him first. It doesn’t mean what we’re doing is a bad thing. Sometimes I just think it it means it’s going to take us a little longer to get where he wants us to go.
That makes perfect sense, actually. And sometimes it’s hard to see which parts of you you need to prune. And I would imagine that a lot of prayer and seeking him first goes into play with finding out what those things are, unless he points it out directly in you, like this is what he’s been prompting you to do and you’ve been holding off. I sure wish he would. So, how do you find those fruits? How do you sit with your lists and just say, okay, this is what’s not serving him or not serving me?
I’ll do my list, like you just said. What am I doing right now? Is this serving him? Is this serving others? Is this just serving me? Because a lot of times I have to stop and think, is this filling my cup? And and not in a bad way, but is it filling my cup while filling others? Or is this solely just for me that I’m doing this? And I I have to do a pride check. What is the purpose behind this? It could be a good thing, but if I’m doing it only to seek worldly acceptance or gratitude from others or acceptance from others, then that’s the wrong reason to do it. And so it’s really that deep heart check like, am I doing this for God or am I doing this for me? And am I, where am I at in that my thought process, my mind, my mind space. And then I go from there. And sometimes it’s not easy to give up. And there’s some seasons that I’m like, okay, God, what can I lay down? And it he’s like, nothing. This is where I want you to be. Currently, I’m actually in a season of a lot. And every time I’m like, God, what can I lay down? And he’s like, You’re right where I want you to be right now. And I’m like, okay, but this is a lot.
It does happen sometimes that that we do have a lot going on. And then there’s times that there’s nothing going on.
And it can, I don’t know, in your case, it probably is never the case because you have a marriage ministry with your husband. Tell us a little bit more about that marriage ministry that you guys did create. Was your marriage always solid? And that’s why it was an easy step forward, or did you have some bumps in the road?
So, first I’d like to say I don’t lead the marriage ministry. We our pastor’s wife leads our marriage ministry at our campus. I step into help where needed, but we’re, I’m usually there, I meet there every week, and I get an opportunity to lead and be a sounding board for a lot of our women. So I’m very blessed to be a part of it, but I do not lead it. Our marriage ministry. So we actually have an overall arching marriage ministry at our church. And so we have five campuses and we have one marriage pastor, and then each campus has their leaders. And my husband and I get the privilege of leading our campus. Uh, when we first started, we actually went to a we call it marriage boost on Wednesday nights. And it’s just a class where couples can come. It’s it’s small group format, it’s turned into a large group format, but couples can come and learn to communicate and work through conflict resolution and just find tools to keep in their tool belt to make their marriages better. So a marriage can be good and they’re taking it to great. A marriage can be more struggling, and this is a way that they can bring Christ into it. You know, we really believe that if you put Christ at the center of it, then he’s gonna make it all work out. And so a lot of times we’ll look at a triangle, and I don’t know if that’s working right, but we’ll look at a triangle. And if the husband is here and this and the wife is here and God is here, if both are going towards God, they’re growing closer together. And so that’s what we try to do is we try to point each of our couples to Jesus and working their own individual walks with him will bring them closer together as well. So when we went to the class, uh we sat there and we were like, oh, this would be fun. We’ve done youth ministry before. We could surely do adult ministry, but we honestly never said anything about it. And one night our pastor and his wife came and they said, Hey, so we need someone to lead this ministry. And we thought you guys would be great. And so, of course, my pastor says, but I need you to give something up. Y’all are everywhere. And so my husband said, Well, why don’t we retire from our business? So um, that’s what we did. We set everything in motion to sell our business. And that was a that was a different business other than the winery at the time. We still had that going on. And we we were able to do that. God sent the right buyer and we retired. And in the meantime, we went ahead and jumped into the marriage ministry. And I wouldn’t say our marriage has never been bad. I mean, we had our bumps in the road, but it could definitely use better because all the questions that we’ve learned and and we still use the tools that we’re learning in it. So it’s a learning and leading at the same time. And there’s been many a times that we’ve gotten up there and the enemy will will attack when we’re about to get up to teach a class. And so there’s been many times that I’m like, I love you, but right now we’re not on the same page, but we have something to do. And so, and I’ll tell the couples that you Know what he’s gonna attack, and you’re not always gonna get along. But the important thing is to keep God in the center of it and let him work it all out.
It’s a big concept though to say put God in the middle. What does that practically look like for couples?
Practically, you know, it’s it’s their individual walks, right? Like I can’t want my husband to love Jesus more than he wants to love Jesus. And so I have to focus on me. And that that’s so semi-counterintuitive to thinking about we, right? So when you think of a marriage, how does this affect us? How are we in this? But if our relationship personally isn’t right with Christ, our marriage can’t be what Christ created it to be. So Christ created marriage to be between a man and a woman, but if that man and woman aren’t seeking him, then he can’t be at the center of that marriage. And it’s putting Christ first. Um, my husband and I say it this way: we try to outserve one another every day. If we wake up every day trying to outserve one another, then you know, we’re doing what Christ called us to do is to serve others. Christ came as a servant, right? He came as a bondservant. That’s what we should be doing to our spouse each and every day, regardless of our feelings. If if he made me mad yesterday, it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t fold his laundry today. It means that I need to work through something and we need to have a conversation. It doesn’t mean that our relationship stops. It doesn’t mean that we love each other any less. It means that we’re having maybe to work a little harder that day to want to kindly do those things, but we have to make that choice.
Because I read a lot that love is a choice, it’s not just a feeling. And I read it in a great deal of places, not just I don’t know if there’s scripture that backs that up or if that’s something that humans just say that have been like in Bible plans.
I don’t know that I’ve actually ever seen it in a in the Bible either. And I’d I’d be interested to actually go look that up. But we do believe that it’s a daily choice. We have to get up every day and make a choice because we are human and we can’t, we’re not always gonna like the situations that we’ve been put in. And it’s how we choose to walk through those situations. And he made us human and he put temptation in our place. You know, Jesus was tempted, but he never sinned. Um we won’t have that opportunity, but we can make a choice on the words that we speak to one another, on the way we treat one another. Um, and I think that that’s just that’s the key to it is really focusing on how can we honor Christ in our marriage.
I think that’s a perfect way of putting it, in all honesty. And I love what you said about outserving each other. If both couples did that daily, you would be reflecting God’s love day in and day out. There would be no opportunity really for the enemy to come between y’all to a degree. I mean, it because the intention has been set that you are going to show up as a servant to your husband, to your children, to anyone you’re serving, the women’s ministry and the marriage ministry that you lead in your campus.
And as author of He is the Vine, I know this was such a personal project for you to do because it was after your mother’s death. Was that correct? Yes. In 2024. I also lost my father in 2024. And how did that desire come to be? And what was the premise of that book? What were you discussing?
So initially, I guess I could say the the premise of the book was to start something that I felt God put on my heart. And I wasn’t really quite sure where that was going. But the more and more I looked at the vineyard and the the opportunities that he placed before us to be able to see that in wine making and in the tasting room. And so I was able to take what happens in a vineyard, what happens in the fermentation process of making that wine. And and I feel like, you know, the death of my mom was a fermentation process. It’s it’s an area where, you know, when when you put yeast in wine, it warms up, it gets heated, it gets agitated and bubbly, and it’s kind of angry. And, you know, grief is a lot like that. You know, there’s a lot of bubbling emotions in you. And so I was able to kind of process through with that. And then the tasting room, the beauty on the other side of it all, you know. So the vine goes through a lot in that vineyard. The juice goes through a lot in that fermentation. But then when you get to the other side, the tasting room, it’s where the stories are shared, the testimonies are given. I got to pray with so many people. Like there’s just so much, so much beauty that comes from the other side of obedience, from the other side of staying connected to the vine and and knowing that that I couldn’t have gotten through the grief if I didn’t stay connected to him. And he’s he’s the source of it all. And so it it went through all a lot of that. And then at the end, just showing people if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, what does that look like? I want to help you with that. And so I gave tools and and things in there to let help people see where do we start? What does that look like? And and that’s really where that book came from. It was really just a a means to a an end of an act of obedience that I felt I was supposed to do, but also a way that I could step into what’s next and where God’s leading in this season.
So tell us a little bit more about those tools. I’m curious now. We were in a Bible study at church one night, and I found this man that said that he doesn’t understand the Bible. He reads it and he doesn’t understand it. And I was like, okay, which I get it. Like, especially if you get into, you know, like Song of Songs, which you’re like, I don’t understand that one either. But uh, but if you get into some of these these verses, you know, you should be able to take something from it. And so I just looked at him and I said, What version are you reading? And he said, the New King James. And I was like, well, no wonder you don’t understand it. That’s great to everybody. And and that just really kind of punctured my heart because I was like, man, like he’s because he was an older guy. And so you sometimes we obviously we think that because somebody’s older, that they know more about the Bible, and that’s not the case. And I was like, oh my gosh, how long has he been reading this? And he just didn’t get it. Like the book is the living word, it is alive and active, and he’s not, he hasn’t had that come alive to him, and that broke my heart. And so just walking people through, find what version works for you. Because until you find that, you might read it several times and not really get it at all. And so I taught people through, like I put several different versions in the book for them to, you know, kind of get a feel for what version might work for you. And then breaking a scripture down. And uh I learned it years ago, and it’s nothing new to the to anybody, but the soap method. You write out the the scripture is S. And so you just simply write out the scripture, and then a lot of times I’ll go in and I’ll circle maybe words that I don’t understand and underline things that I want to know more about. And then in the observation, which is O, I write what those definitions to those words are. So maybe I can understand that scripture a little more clearly. And then I write what is this speaking to me in that. So that’s my observation. And then A is application. How am I going to apply this to my life today? And what do I need to do? What steps do I need to take to make that happen and do better with this? And then P is simply prayer and asking God to help me with whatever it is that I need in applying that to my life. And so I think just breaking it down sometimes makes it feel less intimidating. And so showing people how to do that in my book and um giving them space to write about it.
I think it’s a beautiful book.
And if I wanted to purchase it, where could I do that? And if I wanted to learn more about the work that you do. You said you’re in Texas. Where in Texas are you at? I’m in the Fort Worth area. Okay, because I’m in Austin. So we’re both in Texas. And and I remember Fort Worth because I’m going to be traveling to Sherman, Texas, come a couple weeks from now. I have my 38th reunion for for Austin College. And so my husband and I are driving up there and my mom’s flying in to be with our daughter. And but I know Dallas Fort Worth area quite well. But going back to this, what where can I find you? Do you have a web page? Do you can we purchase this on Amazon?
Okay, I do. I have a website. It’s www.donna Kirkwood.com. Uh pretty simple. And then I also, and that’s where my blog will be posted each week. So I do uh write a blog each week. Um, that’s where um my books, my book is available for purchase. I actually did a study guide that goes along with it. So that’s available there too. If you purchase there, I can send you out a copy, assigned copy if that’s what somebody wants. Um, but I do also have them available on Amazon. So they can they can do it either way. I asked that if they buy on Amazon, please write a review just to boost that up to the top.
I remember what that’s like because it does, it takes a whole community to get us to be seen in the grand sea of authorship out there. So, yes, totally agree with it. Any last words of encouragement you want to leave our listeners with, Donna, before we sign off?
One thing that I try to live by and and I try to be intentional with every person that I come in contact with. And it’s not always easy, but one of my favorite authors made a comment one time and he said, be where your feet are. And so, whatever season you’re in, whether you like it or not, look around you, find out what God’s doing in your life, what he’s trying to do, where can you see him in those moments and be where your feet are and allow him to speak to you through his creation. He has given us this beautiful canvas of life that we can learn so much for from each and every day. And if we blink, if we get too busy, we might miss it.
I love that. I think we forget that even in these seasons, there’s always something. There’s always light, even in the darkness. And sometimes we’re so focused on the darkness we can’t see that little light that’s trying to shine through. Follow me, follow me out of here. I I don’t want to, I want to free you from from this space, from from where you don’t feel like you are at your best. And so I do agree with that, and I love what he said about that as well. Um, for the listeners of release out reveal purpose, remember Matthew 5.14 to be the light, be the light in someone else’s life because we are part of one body. And as followers of Christ, we sometimes forget that. We forget that because we get pulled into a way of thinking that we’re in it for ourselves when in reality we’re in it for others. We are to love others first as we love ourselves. So there’s a lot of love that is happening, right? We love the Lord, and that’s why you and your husband outserve each other because you love the Lord. If you’re pointing towards the Lord together and you’re serving like the Lord is serving, then you are being a light for each other, especially when things can happen in life that one spouse can be there for the other and vice versa. So I really want to thank you, Donna, for coming on the show and being vulnerable and transparent and sharing that amazing example of obedience that you shared, because it just reminded me to go back to the last time I felt close to him. Yeah. And start there and just be where my feet are currently at and look for the light. Look for how God is working in my life, how it’s refining it, how it’s removing fruit that doesn’t is not bearing more fruit or it’s getting in the way of what he wants to do. I think it was a phenomenal interview for those that are in this season of wilderness that don’t know where to start looking for that light. So I appreciate you being that light for me this morning and for the listeners of released that reveal purpose. So thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for having me, Sylvia. I appreciate it. It’s been a pleasure and an honor for me to have you on.
Um, for those, remember to go to www.donna Kirkwood.com to purchase her book, He is the Vine. And if you do purchase it on Amazon, like she said, please leave a review. For those that want to purchase my book in Faith I Thrive, Finding Joy Through God’s Master Plan, do visit my webpage at www.sylviaworsham.com. And like Donna said, if you do purchase our books on Amazon, please leave us a review. Have a wonderful and blessed rest of your week. Bye now.
So that’s it for today’s episode of Release Doubt Reveal Purpose. Head on over to iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show. One lucky listener every single week who posts a review on iTunes. We’ll win a chance the grand prize drawing to win a $25,000 private VIP day with Sylvia Worstham herself. Be sure to head on over to sylviaworsham.com and pick up a free copy of Sylvia’s gift and join us on the next episode.