The Moment I Knew God Was Speaking to Me

Welcome to Christianity.com. My name is David Carl. I'm a pastor, writer, and the creator of Paws and Tails—and I’m a Christian. Here's why.

My first awareness of God’s love came when I was just four years old, snuggled up in my mother’s lap. Our house was full of guests and laughter, but I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. I was leaning against my mom, my left ear pressed to her chest. I could hear her heartbeat. And more than that, I could hear her voice resonate through her bones. It was bassy, muffled, and beautiful.

In that moment, I thought, I am so close. I can hear her through her bones. That kind of intimacy left a mark on my soul. Sixty years later, I still remember it. It became my internal definition of closeness—the highest form of intimacy.

Life went on quietly until another defining moment, years later, at summer camp in third grade. One Wednesday afternoon, our counselor leader—whose camp name was “Crazy Hawk”—took all the boys on a hike. We didn’t go anywhere spectacular, just a dusty maintenance road. The point wasn’t the hike—it was to give our counselors a break.

Crazy Hawk had us sit down in the dirt and began to tell the story of God delivering the Israelites from Egypt. He acted out every part. He did voices. It was hilarious. And captivating.

I remember looking around—boys halfway through camp, smelling like sweat and sauerkraut, sitting cross-legged in the dirt—and every one of us was locked in. Laughing. Learning. Loving it. And right then, I thought: This is amazing. I want to do that one day.

Since then, my life has been shaped by so many believers—family, church members, camp mentors. And because of them, I’ve spent my life trying to tell Bible stories almost as well as Crazy Hawk did. More than that, I’ve tried to help people understand one profound truth:

God is absolutely crazy in love with His children.

He doesn’t love us based on our past. He doesn’t cast us aside because of our failures. He wants to gather us in His arms with such closeness that we hear His voice resonate through His being, just like I heard my mother’s voice through her chest all those years ago.

I’ve come to love Jesus deeply. I want to love Him even more. And I want you to know: God is not angry at you. He’s not disappointed in you. He wants to rescue you, nourish your soul, and bring you near.

So lean in. Snuggle close. Because God loves His children like crazy—and that will never end.

Photo Credit: SWN Design