MY SENSE OF SELF-WORTH was practically nonexistent by the time I quit drinking. I had a lot of fear and anxiety that needed healing. I had unresolved pain from my childhood and a truckload of guilt and shame for things I had done during my drinking days. My relationship with God was in dire need of repair. And on top of all this, I was still confused about whether my growing psychic abilities were good or bad, right or wrong. Joining AA was the best thing that ever happened to me, but when I mentioned my abilities to a few people in the program, they reacted so negatively that I decided to keep them to myself. (To clarify, it's not the policy of AA to make a judgment about anything. The people who reacted negatively were sharing their own beliefs.)

Each day, as the fog lifted a little bit more - an AA expression for when you're first sobering up - I became aware that my inner thirst to know God was back in force. The third step of the program says to turn our life and our will over to the care of God as we understand God, asking only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. I struggled to understand and act on this.

One Saturday morning, while attending a meeting in which this third step was being discussed, I realized I was nervous about this "turning our life and will over to God" business. After the meeting, I stood in line at a grocery store. I stared at a bouquet of balloons by the register as my mind wandered. What would my life be like if I did turn it over to God? As my mind drifted back to my place in the line, I took note of how colorful the balloons were. I thought about how I'd loved these bright balls of color since I was a little girl.

As I walked home from the market, I asked God to give me some kind of sign that He was really on my side. I explained that I knew I needed to turn my life and my will over to Him but was anxious and fearful about doing it. Could He somehow let me know He wasn't mad at me? Show me that turning my will over was a good thing? "I'd really appreciate it," I prayed.

Later that afternoon, there was a knock on my door. When I said, "Who's there?" I heard one of the guys from my AA group say that he had something for me. I opened the door, and there he stood with a bouquet of balloons! He asked if it was my birthday.

"Nope," I said, with a huge smile on my face.

"That's strange," he replied, explaining that he'd been nudged intuitively to get me the bouquet and didn't know why. He asked if I had any idea.

I told him the balloons were a sign from God - and thanked him profusely for listening to that nudge.

Later that day, I sat down and wrote in my journal that I was consciously taking the step to turn my life and my will over to the care of God. I wasn't sure what to do besides share this with God. Other than having an inner sense that this was the beginning of a new journey, nothing monumental happened. Well, nothing except my balloons.

Fast-forward many years to another example of God speaking in mysterious ways:

There was a woman in one of my classes - I'll call her "Dee" - whom I always felt a certain kinship with. One Saturday morning before class started, Dee told me that she hoped to be just like me someday - teaching classes, doing healings and readings, and having the faith in God to live by her intuition, as I do. We hugged, and I thanked Dee for the compliment. Little did either of us know just how alike we already were.

A few minutes later, another student came in with flowers for me. Dee asked what the flowers were for, and I told her that it was my birthday. "It's my birthday, too!" Dee exclaimed. I asked her what year she was born, and she said 1948. "Me, too," I said. When I asked where she was born, we learned we were both natives of St. Paul.

We kept going. "What hospital?" I asked. When she replied, "Midway," I again said, "Me, too." We were shaking our heads in wonder by this point. "What time were you born?" I asked next. When Dee said, "10:05 pm," I knew that we'd been nursery mates. I was born at 9:04 pm.

We were born one hour and one minute apart, bunked in the nursery together for a week, went our separate ways for forty years, and met back up in psychic development classes. We laughed, and I smiled at the confirmation that there really are no coincidences in life.

As it turns out, Dee and I had very similar life paths. We both grew up in alcoholic families. Like me, Dee got pregnant before marriage. She didn't have the addiction problems that I've struggled with, but she's been around addiction her whole life. We both had difficult childhoods. We've both dealt with codependency issues and are both members of Al-Anon (a support organization for family and friends of alcoholics). Both of us are authors, healers, and psychics, though Dee has not made a career out of her psychic abilities.

We haven't seen each other for several years, but we always send each other birthday cards. I imagine that our souls had quite a bit to talk about while we were waiting for our bodies to be born that night in Midway Hospital, September 20, 1948.

I think that sometimes God sends a balloon - or a nursery mate! - just to remind us we aren't alone.

For You To Think About

Have You Experienced Any Coincidences Lately?

Have you ever heard the expression "a coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous"?

I believe that we're frequently given signs that God is watching over us but we tend to blow these off as coincidences. Instead of doing this, ask God to show you signs that He is watching over you. Then start paying closer attention to what's going on in your life. When you experience "coincidences," write about them in your journal.

You might get an obvious sign, like my balloons, or you may slowly start to notice more everyday occurrences - a check arriving unexpectedly just when you need it, or running into a friend you've been meaning to call.

The important thing is to shift the way we think about things, to look with fresh eyes. I want you to start realizing that you are more important than you think. Coincidences aren't random; if something is happening to you, it's because it's meant for you. In every experience, look for a sign from God, a message just for you. I think you'll soon see so many of these messages, you'll wonder how you ever could have missed them.

Pause, pay attention, and remember: look for the good, and you'll find God. Also remember that growing spiritually is an adventure. It doesn't happen overnight - and it wouldn't be half as much fun if it did.

© 2008, Echo Bodine, All Rights Reserved

Excerpted from Look For the Good & You'll Find God: The Spiritual Journey of a Psychic and Healer ©2008 by Echo Bodine. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52. To purchase Beyond Knowing from Amazon.com, click this link, or on the cover thumbnail below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Echo Bodine is the author of Look For the Good & You’ll Find God: The Spiritual Journey of a Psychic and Healer and several other bestselling titles. She is a renowned psychic, spiritual healer, teacher, and radio host. Her website is www.echobodine.com.