Have you ever wondered, Does God really hear me? Does He truly see me?
This week on The Love Offering Podcast, I had the joy of talking with Vivian Mabuni, co-host of the God Hears Her Podcast and author, speaker, and Bible teacher. Together, we unpack what it means to be fully known, fully loved, and deeply heard by the God who never overlooks us.
Vivian vulnerably shares her own story of wrestling with God’s voice, navigating seasons of disappointment, and discovering that even when God says “no,” His love for us doesn’t change. If you’ve ever felt unseen, unheard, or unloved, this conversation will remind you of the tender truth that God hears you.
You can listen to the episode here.
I can’t wait for you to be encouraged by this powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness. Share it with a friend who needs to be reminded today: She is seen. She is heard. She is loved.
With love,
Rachael
Summary
In this episode of the Love Offering Podcast, host Rachael Adams welcomes Vivian Mabuni, an international speaker and author, to discuss her journey of faith, the impact of the God Hears Her podcast, and the importance of feeling seen and heard by God. Vivian shares her personal experiences, including her struggles with faith and the significance of community in understanding God’s love. The conversation emphasizes the need for women to connect with God and each other, encouraging listeners to embrace their spiritual journeys and recognize God’s presence in their lives.
Takeaways
Vivian Mabuni shares her journey from a non-Christian background to a deep faith in God.
The God Hears Her podcast serves as a platform for women to feel seen and heard by God.
Feeling overlooked is a common struggle among women, but God desires connection with us.
God’s love is not based on how He answers our prayers, but on His character.
Community plays a vital role in feeling connected to God and others.
Hearing God’s voice requires intentionality and quieting our hearts.
The Bible reveals God’s character and helps us understand His will.
God’s answers to prayer may not always align with our desires, but they are rooted in love.
The importance of loving God for who He is, not just for what He can give us.
Celebrating achievements, like graduating from seminary, is a reminder of God’s faithfulness.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Love Offering Podcast
01:07 Vivian Mabuni’s Journey and Background
05:57 The Impact of the God Hears Her Podcast
11:54 Feeling Seen and Heard by God
16:37 Personal Doubts and God’s Presence
22:02 Understanding God’s Answers to Prayer
24:07 Hearing God’s Voice
29:36 The Hope of the God Hears Her Podcast
32:10 Biblical Concepts of Love
35:34 Celebrating Achievements and Connections
Transcript (AI Generated)
Rachael Adams (00:01.464)
Welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I’m your host, Rachel Adams, author of Everyday Prayers for Love, learning to love God, others, and even yourself. Each week we dive into meaningful conversations about how to live out the greatest commandment, loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Whether through inspiring stories, practical tips, or biblical truths, my prayer is to encourage you to love boldly, live faithfully, and reflect God’s love in your everyday life.
Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Vivian Mabuni to the show. Vivian is an international speaker, author, and co-host of the widely loved God hears her podcast produced by Our Daily Bread Ministries, with over a million downloads. And now in its 14th season, this podcast has become a powerful platform of encouragement for women seeking to feel seen, heard, and loved by God. Vivian’s heart for women and her passion for helping others experience intimacy with Christ shine through every episode.
Well, hello, Vivian, and welcome to the love offering podcast. I’m so happy to have you.
Viv Mabuni (01:13.964)
Well, thanks for having me, Rachel. It’s so fun to be reconnected again.
Rachael Adams (01:18.43)
It is. So I had the opportunity to be on your podcast, the God hears her podcast, and I haven’t shared this news yet. I don’t even think publicly yet that I signed with Our Daily Bread Ministries and the God Hears Her line to have a devotional that will come out in the winter of 2027. So my manuscripts are due in August. And so I get to be a part of the God Hears Her family in some ways.
Viv Mabuni (01:42.226)
Yay, yes, you are. That is so fantastic. I love that because my background with Our Daily Bread is that I used a little devotionals when I first started walking with the Lord, and I was in Hong Kong, of all places, when I first flipped through my first Our Daily Breads. And so there’s something really sweet about having this full circle moment of being in the Our Daily Bread family and knowing that you’re going to be part of the God hears her line. I love it. I love it.
Rachael Adams (02:11.0)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, me too. I feel very fortunate. And so tell us a little bit about you. said you did not grow up in the United States. So I’d love to hear just a little bit more about you and the background in your story.
Viv Mabuni (02:22.342)
Sure. Well, did actually, I was born in Wisconsin and I grew up in Colorado, but did not grow up in a Christian home. And we were culturally Buddhist. And in high school, I sat next to a friend in math class and she started glowing. And if you know anything about boulder, boulders like Portland or Austin or Berkeley, like, Madison, like all the weird cities feel very normal to me because Boulder’s just kind of this granola hippie kind of place, very spiritually open to like crystals and new age and stuff. So that was what I was exposed to. And we were culturally Buddhist in that there were certain holidays where we would, you know, go and burn incense and do some things, but it didn’t impact my day-to-day life in any way. And now as a Christian, I realized there are a lot of cultural Christians too, like go through the motions and it doesn’t impact daily life. anyway, my friend in math class, she was glowing. I looked at her, I said, did you become a vegetarian? She’s like, no, I became a Christian. And I’m like, well, what does that even mean? Do you go to church now? And she goes, no, I have a personal relationship with Jesus. And Rachel, just sitting next to her every day, it was undeniable that God was real.
Viv Mabuni (03:44.992)
And she just kept glowing and her relationship with God just drew me to be interested in spiritual things. And so I ended up placing my trust in Christ in high school, but then I tried to live the Christian life on my own effort, in my own efforts. So I knew that Christians read the Bible, so I didn’t have one. I drove to the mall, went to the bookstore, bought one, tried reading it. It was really I couldn’t understand all the measurements and all these kings and how they relate it. mean, just was like, it’s not applying to my life. And then I would drive myself to church if I woke up on time and I cry through the worship songs, then I would go home and then life would just be like normal again. And I got to the point where I was really frustrated being a Christian because I used to have a standard and if I didn’t meet the standard, I could just lower it. But now I knew right from wrong and I could not consistently live right. So I, as teenagers, decided that religion and Jesus and all that stuff was just going to be another, I don’t know, teenage fad. It was a rock band, Perfume and God. So I was really ready to toss my faith because it didn’t work. And that was when my dad went through midlife crisis and after living 17 years in Boulder, Colorado, right before my senior year of high school, he moves our entire family from Boulder, Colorado to Hong Kong. And so that was when the adventure began, because I was mad at God and I prayed in Hong Kong and I asked God, know, I really do want to know you, but I need a church and a youth group and some Christian friends. And if you could provide that here in Hong Kong. I’ll give you my whole life. I’ll hold nothing back.” And God answered those prayers, Rachel. that was, I mean, if we had one day, we’ll have time to hear more of the details, but that changed everything, that trajectory. I followed through on my part, just giving God total control of my life. I just said, I’ll go wherever you want me to go and I’ll do whatever you want me to do. And that changed everything and brings me to here.
Rachael Adams (06:05.686)
Well, I can’t wait to hear more of your story, but we are going to take a brief break to hear a word from today’s sponsor. And when we return, we will talk about the impact of the God hears her podcast and what it’s having on women.
Rachael Adams (06:21.726)
Welcome back Vivian, I can’t wait to hear more of your story. You left us with like a little bit of a cliffhanger. So take us back to kind of this epiphany moment and then where God continued to meet you until your life today.
Viv Mabuni (06:33.774)
Yes. Well, so it was in Hong Kong that I met Christians who lived, they lived what they believed. And there was such a different quality because they also had that glow about them. You know, it was, it wasn’t an age or a personality or even, you know, ethnic background. There’s just this, when you meet someone who loves God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind on an airplane or at the restaurant or standing, there’s just a knowing that we’ve met family. And so that, you know, I wanted that to continue once I returned back to the United States. So my parents ended up living in Hong Kong for another 13 years, but I started college and I applied to the University of Colorado because that was the only school I knew. And I got into the business school and I got involved immediately looking for other. Christians who lived what they believed. And so I got involved with CREW as a college student. So I ended up majoring in CREW and minoring in marketing. So it was just like, I did so much ministry in college. I loved it so much. And when I graduated, I was trying to decide between law school or joining staff. And so I talked to my parents and said, you know, I’d love to do this for a couple of years. I could always go back to law school, but I would really love to do to two years and two years turned into 36. And in that time, just walking with the Lord, being on staff, worked with college students for about 28 years. And in that time was diagnosed with cancer, walked through that journey. The interesting thing is that that’s what ultimately opened up a writing as an author. So it was our daily bread. There was an editor that worked for our daily bread who had an author I had never met who sent my Caring Bridge medical blog to the editor who then reached out to me and said, hey, we’re wondering if you have a book proposal. I’m like book proposal, book proposal. So I’m like Googling book proposal at Starbucks and I’m like, that looks kind of centered in about five spaces down. And that began my writing journey too was with our daily bread. So that’s just been such a fun thing. And I would just say, I had my first sabbatical a couple years ago, you know, after being in ministry for all these years, I finally took a sabbatical and it was a three month long sabbatical. And during that time, I had one week by myself in Big Bear, California in a cabin in the mountains, you know, just me and silence. And I sat there reflecting back over all these years of walking with the Lord and I had no idea, but that week in August, that I was in Big Bear was exactly 40 years to the day that I had prayed that prayer in Hong Kong, to the week that I prayed that prayer in Hong Kong of God, I will give him a whole life, I need this and I’ll give him. And so I just look back on his faithfulness over decades and life has not been easy by any stretch, but God has been unwaveringly faithful.
Rachael Adams (09:58.744)
For those listening that don’t know the significance of the number 40 that is such a special number in scripture and so beautiful that you had that even moment with the Lord, isn’t it? Yeah.
Viv Mabuni (10:11.816)
It’s yeah, yeah, can’t even, you can’t even play on those. It’s just a God thing. It really is a God thing.
Rachael Adams (10:18.18)
Well, you were talking about a lot of your life has been spent at university. So you just also graduated Denver Theological Seminary. And so congratulations on that huge accomplishment.
Viv Mabuni (10:28.295)
Yes! Thank you, thank you. I have loved being in seminary and it has been a long journey. Most people finish a graduate degree in a few years. Mine was like 36 because I started as a single and then got married and had kids and all of that. Went back to school and had to drop out and back and so it finally, finally done. So it’s fresh right now because I’m still floating. I can’t believe it.
Rachael Adams (11:03.662)
Well, so tell us, so you wrote a book with our daily bread and then now you are in this God hears her podcast with our daily bread. So tell us when you started, you first got involved with the podcast.
Viv Mabuni (11:16.41)
Yeah, well, I was first a guest on our Daily Bread, on God Here’s Her, with Erin and Alisa. And they interviewed me twice, I think, and somewhere along the lines, they were, I guess, they were thinking through the advantage of having a third host. And somehow my name came up. And when Alisa first reached out to me, I’m like, I love Alisa Morgan. She is such a phenomenal leader. And I really enjoyed meeting Erin. didn’t know her as well, but I was like, it’s really wise and smart to connect with leaders that you want to become like, you know? And so it’s like, if I could get more time with Elisa Morgan, then yes, I would consider this. that was really, it was not a hard, it was not a struggle to say yes in that regard, because it’s like, wow.
Viv Mabuni (12:11.212)
I love these people. And then to be able to meet the team and just realize that there’s, it’s a podcast produced by women, for women, with really a heart for women in every season and every stage to know that God is real and that he hears us and he sees us and he knows us. And I just think, what? I mean, that’s the best thing ever.
Rachael Adams (12:36.312)
Yeah, it is the best thing ever. We’re going to take another brief break and when we return we’ll talk about why so many women struggle to feel seen and heard by God.
Rachael Adams (12:48.278)
Welcome back Vivian. We are talking about that God hears us and he sees us and he knows us and he loves us and I’m so thankful for that truth. But why do you think so many of us do feel struggle to feel like God sees us and hears us? What encouragement would you give to someone who feels maybe overlooked or forgotten today?
Vivian Mabuni (13:00.000)
That feeling, a feeling overlooked and unseen is shared by so many. I can relate to that. It’s sometimes just a universal sense of disconnection. And when I think about the whole of the picture of the story of God and how we fit into all of that, God’s whole intention in already like as part of the Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, there was perfect fellowship. There’s no need to add more to that. God wasn’t just like, I’m lonely. I need to create all these people. He was wanting to create people in his own image that could share in this being seen and known and connection with him and with one another. And that to me is that foundational sense that when we are not feeling that way, is an indicator that something’s broken because we were hardwired to be with God and with one another and with the land even. The Hebrew word shalom is more than just peace. It means integrity and wholeness. And that is echoed in all these other cultures and places. My husband is native Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Okinawan. And in the native Hawaiian language, there’s a word pono, P-O-N-O. And it has that same feel of what shalom means, which is to be, it means heart.
Viv Mabuni (14:54.392)
Harmony, hope, righteousness, but it really means to be good with one another, to be good with God, Creator, and to be good with the land. And so there’s that thread, I think, that is pulled throughout all peoples in all times of just that brokenness of not feeling seen or heard because our sin really takes us to a place of isolation, isolation with ourselves, isolation in our relationships, isolation in every way. There’s no place that sin doesn’t taint, but there’s still that longing. So that we have that longing indicates that there’s something that’s not quite right. What I have found for myself and for most women is that when we are aligned with the Lord and we recognize that He is always reaching out, that we would draw near, that his invitation is constant and consistent, that that fills a void that money, Instagram, things, bigger, better, brighter, newer, just cannot ever fill. Like there’s a satisfying understanding of God’s work in our life and that connection. And it’s also part of that collective that we are part of that also helps us to understand that we are seen and known and heard and our relationship with God is reinforced and foundational to that is that we are together with one another. And that’s probably the biggest, I don’t know if I could, I don’t know. I think Rachel, it’s like this, like I have spent so much of my life in ministry encouraging people to surrender their lives to the Lord fully. Like that has been like a passion thing. And as I’m getting older now, it’s like a passion to that it’s not so individualistic. It really is a collective that we were meant to run the race together. It’s, you know, it’s so much of the language that Paul writes in the New Testament and even in the Old Testament, it’s, we read it in English as you, and we think of it individualistically, but it was actually y’all, all y’all, and that was really the heart of that piece. So when we are aligned with the Lord and connected with each other, I think we feel seen and we feel heard and we’re encouraged in the hard times. So even when God doesn’t seem right there, even though he is, we also have the body of Christ that comes along with us to walk right there and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to us too. It’s a very long answer to your very good question, but I don’t know if we hit all of that.
Rachael Adams (17:54.148)
Well, was a very good answer, but I’m interested to hear from your own personal experience. Has there ever been a time where you doubted that God heard you?
Viv Mabuni (18:03.72)
You know, I struggle with that because there’s a few different things that come to mind for me. My relationship with my earthly dad was not one where I felt the freedom necessarily to just like jump on his lap and tell him about my day, that kind of a relationship. It was a lot more distant. And I found that I could communicate better in writing with my earthly dad, like we could write notes or email each other and share more than speaking. And that’s kind of transferred into my relationship with the Lord, you know, where I write out my prayers and that feels a little bit more comfortable to me. And that’s some of what I wrestle with. So when I think about not feeling seen or heard, I think about being diagnosed with breast cancer and I understood for the first time really in a profound way why people struggle. Because of being in ministry, I’ve always tried to be convincing people that the most reasonable thing is to surrender your life to the Lord because of who he is, which is true. But I think being faced with a cancer diagnosis at the time, it was like, there are more questions than answers. And the longer I live, are pains and disappointments that I don’t understand the side of heaven. What I’ve learned is that though things are not as I want them or think they should be, does not equate to silence. So there’s that sense that I think I’m understanding even more that he does hear my prayers. It’s just His ways.
Viv Mabuni (20:09.866)
in so many ways, it’s not going to fit my plan. And if I could just expand and move back a little bit and see that he is always at work. And I think the advantage of being older is that there’s a lot more track record to look back on and to kind of see like, there are some ways that we have the satisfaction of knowing that he actually was there all along. One of the more recent things that happened was during COVID, we ended up missing, my husband and I missed our son’s wedding because we both got diagnosed with COVID and we had avoided it for like a year and a half at that point. Like we had not got, it was our first time getting it. It was the week of our son’s wedding and we had to zoom in our toasts and my daughter ended up dancing with my son for what would have been the mother said dance. And oh, that was like, Lord, that could have been a week before, two weeks after, any other time. And so more questions and answers and still grief about missing such a huge milestone and holding intention that really the wedding day is so important and it’s beautiful and we want to mark that, but the marriage is going to be what really is lasting and trying to hold that wonderful addition to our family and Helika being there. But I do have a fun story to share about that was when Michael and Helika returned from their honeymoon, they had to go to another wedding that was closer to our house. So they ended up staying with us. So we got to see them and hug them and we brought all their wedding gifts back to our house. We got to open them with open the gifts with them. as soon as he walked, as soon as Michael walked through the door, he pulled out his phone and goes, Mom you’ve got to hear this text. And he had a friend that was like a friend of a friend that they became close. And that friend came to the wedding, texted Michael that night said, I have not felt this happy in such a long time. I never knew how someone could trust their parents or be close to their siblings. But I could see the unconditional love when your parents were doing their toast and stuff. And it gave me courage to reach out to my parents. They had been estranged for like 20 years. And then they said, he said that he, in the text, he was like, I gave me the courage to tell them that I love them. And they told me that they love me back. And we reconciled. And when I got off that call, I had the courage to call my older brother who had been abusive toward him growing up. just, it was a really, really hard relationship, but the older brother actually owned it. And he, he, he apologized. He said, I should have been there to protect you, but I hurt you. Will you forgive me? And so Michael’s friend said, you know, I never thought I could even forgive until last night, you know? So it’s like, that was a kindness that God would allow us to, in the midst of the tears, like in the midst of the grief that God is always at work. Like he’s always at work. And we may not see it the side of heaven, but He is a 360 degree God and he is always out.
Rachael Adams (23:37.216)
Yeah. what a heartbreaking story, but beautiful story at the same time. Like I do hate that for you because it’s, I’m thinking, gosh, that’s something you dream about your really your whole life, even, you know, as, as a mom and, but that God did even use that. And I think that’s really important hearing your stories that God does hear us and he does answer, but sometimes the answer is no. And sometimes the answer is yes. And sometimes the answer is just wait.
Rachael Adams (24:06.84)
Like not yet. So even though I think that’s really important to talk about, but even though God hears us, his answer may be different than what we actually wanted to hear. So does that evoke any thought in you?
Viv Mabuni (24:17.568)
Yes, yes, 100%. And when I think, did you ever watch the movie Bruce Almighty? Jim Carrey, right? So he has to be God for a day or something and all these prayer requests are coming in and he just does a blanket yes. And it’s just absolute chaos in the world. And I tend to equate yes with favor like that.
Rachael Adams (24:26.412)
Yes. Yeah, I’m curious.
Viv Mabuni (24:44.17)
If I’m asking for something and he says, yes, that means that God loves me. And what does it look like for me to know and understand that God’s love for me is not based on how he answers my specific prayers because he has such a bigger view in mind. And that requires trust, but it also requires knowing him and his character and recognizing I do not have the capacity to hold all the pieces together and it’s a grace of his that he would have us be limited and finite. We need sleep and we need food and we are finite and we are dependent and we fight against that all the time. Like we would like to think that we have more control than we really do. And I am constantly in need of having to sit in the truth that God is big and I am not sees and knows things that I don’t know. He’s far more gracious and loving than I can even imagine. And his no is still through this, the deepest love. And he takes no pleasure in my pain that he grieves as well. And that, I mean, it just reframes everything. It reframes everything. And so in the heartbreaks, I am still convinced that God is loving and he is good. That never changes. And even if I don’t understand, that part never changes.
Rachael Adams (26:26.276)
You know, the majority of our conversation because of the name of the podcast, God hears her. It’s been our focus on God hearing us, but talk to us a little bit about, cause even in your story, there’s been multiple times where you felt like you heard God. And so I think that’s so important if he wants this communication with us. Um, and so it’s not just one sided, he’s just listening to all of our requests. We need to attune our ears to hear him and not just hear him, but respond to him. Like I know for me, one of my favorite verses is like, I don’t want to just be a hearer of God’s word. I want to be a doer of God’s word. And so talk to us a little bit about that. how do we hear God’s voice and discern what maybe he is actually telling us to do.
Viv Mabuni (27:14.446)
Yeah, I love that question, Rachel. I think for me, there’s a lot of times I just want a formula to know, okay, I do A plus B and then I will hear God. And right, right. And unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that entirely in life. But there are principles that I have found useful in being able to understand God’s heart and His will and His ways and it’s through the Bible. mean, really is like, I cannot get over how amazing it is that the Bible is unlike any other book, and it reveals the character of God and how he works, and it was written for us, but not to us. That, you know, like sometimes we can take the Bible and try to read it like a fortune cookie, like, okay, what’s my verse for today and that that’s going to be how I hear him and more so and I know you do this too as a Bible teacher, just like what does the Bible teach us about God? And as we are, as we understand more and more who God is and his character, his will and his ways, we can walk in confidence. Like we don’t, it doesn’t have to be like, oh, in this moment, do I have to turn left or right? Like if we’re in relationship. There’s a lot of freedom in that. And he doesn’t leave and he’s consistently prompting us in, know, circumstances are moving in such a way, conversations. I mean, there’s like all of these divine moments, but that’s really walking in step with the spirit. So for me, without it being formulaic, nothing will replace time in God’s Word and a consistent intake of God’s Word. I often will say, let the Bible be your primary source of spiritual nourishment. We need a plumb line and we need to not be swayed by people’s opinions. you know, even as a Bible teacher, like, we can start to take people’s words and put it even higher than God’s word. And so, again, it’s like, we will know God’s voice because it will never contradict what has already been revealed. And he’s constantly speaking and revealing who he is through his word. So that would be the first thing. And the second thing is just to learn to quiet ourselves, to learn to let the dust, it’s like Ruth Haley Barton talks about, she’s a spiritual director, and she takes a jar of river water and puts it on the center of a table and you can’t see through it at all. And over time, all of the sediments, you know, gently land on the bottom of that jar and you literally see through. So I did that as a talk illustration. And by the end of my talk, it was still all like messed up. You couldn’t see through it. It didn’t work for that moment, but we kept that jar up there. And at the end of the retreat, it was completely clear and you could see clearly. So there’s that part of it is also our part of intentionally being still long enough to let that sediment settle, because we can get so busy doing all the things or numbing out or filling our days with all sorts of stuff and things. When our souls are settled, God is always speaking. it’s, you you’ve heard the adage, you know, it’s easier to move. It’s easier to steer a moving car. You know, we keep going. And as we are taking step by step, He’s the one that we happen to sit next to this person on the bus or we, you know, happen to have a conversation about the future and seminary. Like, huh, isn’t that so interesting? So I just think that that’s how he, that’s how he is working. And we’re, we’re in relationships. It doesn’t have to be this big event to seek God’s will. I think we’re kind of as we go and we’re implementing some of those practices that keep us in tune where it’s not where there’s a congruence and an integrity like that wholeness.
Rachael Adams (31:45.196)
I love that imagery and we actually live on the largest man-made lake in the United States. And so I’m just like, there’s a part of me that’s just wanting to go right now and just get a big cup of water and stick it on my desk as a reminder. I might just do that. Because you’re right. There are just so much, there’s so much noise and there’s so many distractions that enemy would love nothing more than to distract us and to cause us to like listen to him and all the other noise for lack of a better word other than to hearing God’s voice. But I just pray right now for every woman listening that she would quiet her heart, that she would spend time with him because it talks about in Scripture that the sheep will know my voice and I know my sheep and that knowing that root word is an intimacy, like an intimate knowing. And so that’s our hope, I think, for today’s episode. And so talk to us about the God Hears Her podcast as people tune in. What is your hope for them each week that they would glean from their time with you?
Viv Mabuni (32:50.83)T
There’s two hopes. One, that there would be a sense of relatability. Our circumstances will be all over the map based on age, life stage, place and where we live, our experiences, our backgrounds. It’s kind of like none of us have the same spiritual journey story. But there are the threads that are relatable. So there’s the hope that as women are listening to these conversations that there’s that, there’s a relatability and a connection. And there’s the hope that there’s challenge to keep moving towards the things that are good, even though they could at times be really hard. Sometimes I think God welcomes our real emotions, our true emotions. Like we don’t have to get all cleaned up in order to spend time with God. He can take it all. And he doesn’t want to leave us there either. So there is a real decision to, in the midst of the hard, to stay engaged and to not check out. So my hope is even hearing stories of women who chose to stay engaged would be a place of hope and inspiration for the woman who’s having a hard time too. There’s kind of that dual sense of like, you know, I have never met this person, but I feel like I connect with what they’re saying. And I’m also challenged to not give up in my own life because I see how God worked through. it’s not that we have this bow at the end of every situation. There are, like we talked about earlier, Rachel, it’s like there are real situations with questions without answers. And how do I stay still seeking after the Lord, even in that? It’s like, want you more than anything, even more than the yes to these prayers. I still want you more than the things.
Rachael Adams (35:05.708)
Yeah, or the answer that you give me. Yeah. So tell us, is there a biblical concept of love that you think applies to this topic today?
Viv Mabuni (35:18.446)
When I think about John 21 and Peter and Jesus having that final walk on the beach, know, Peter earlier had denied Christ three times and Jesus is restoring Peter by asking Peter three times, Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you love me? I did a word study on that love word before and the first two loves that Jesus asks Peter is, Peter, do you agape love me? Do you unconditionally love me? And Peter answers each time, I, phileo, I brotherly love you back. And the last time Jesus asked, do you phileo love me? And obviously we’ll need to talk to Peter and John to understand like, okay, what was really going on there? But as a reader of the story, I wonder for myself, and for all the listeners, the question, do you love me? Do you unconditionally love me? And if I’m honest, there are times when it’s like, I don’t unconditionally love you. just, you I really want my way. And that’s the challenge to me. And I think to our listeners, I unconditionally love Jesus not for what I get from Him, not for the joy or the peace or any of that, but do I love Him? And do I love Him in a way that’s not based on getting my way? And that’s my challenge personally, even right here, right now. But I think for us as believers too to consider the type of relationship we have with God is not like a vending machine where we pop in our prayers and expect, you know, the candy bar to drop out. It’s not a contract, you know, where I do my part and then you do your part. And if you don’t, if you break contract, then you’re, you know, it’s, that’s not the type of relationship covenant is this unconditional commitment despite everything, like I’m still with you. It’s the most humbling part about being married for it’ll be 34 years this summer. And we go back to our covenant. Like it wasn’t based on our performance. And in the same way I’m challenged in my relationship with God, it’s not based on my performance and it’s not based on his performance either. Like it really is a love, it’s a love relationship. And that’s the beauty of our God that he even going back to the beginning of our conversation, the sense that God would create this incredible, beautiful, just extraordinary world, and he would want to dwell with us. And he made a way to dwell with us. And even with the Israelites, he was dwelling with them in the temple, in the tabernacle, and then in the temple. And then Jesus came to dwell among us. And now we are the temple. I mean, it’s just so amazing that the God of the universe would choose to dwell with us. I just cannot get over that. So that’s a profound and deep love and a very tender love. it puts everything else into perspective.
Rachael Adams (38:55.766)
Yeah, it absolutely does. And what a great question to ask ourselves. Do you really love God today? Not for what he can give you or do for you, but because of who he is. Because if we’re honest, that’s how we want him to love us too. Not for anything we do for him, but just because of who we are and how we want to love each other or be loved by one another, right? Just because of who we are. So, so good. Well, tell us something that you are loving right now.
Viv Mabuni (39:23.79)
Well, I just graduated from seminary. So I’m loving right now not being, not having the pressures of writing papers and doing all that stuff. So I’m loving a new season where I’ll be reading some fiction and watching movies on the airplanes. Like I’m just not carrying around my backpack. So that is what I’m currently loving. And I’m loving the joy and the overwhelm of hitting a milestone and having my family there to celebrate that moment, just, I’m just feeling incredible, incredible gratitude.
Rachael Adams (40:09.22)
Well, me too. I’m grateful to have gotten to know you and I know I want to stay connected with you. I’m sure listeners are going to want to and then want to tune into the God Here’s Her podcast. So tell us how we can do all those things.
Viv Mabuni (40:21.728)
Yeah, well the God Hears Her podcast is at God Hears Her on Instagram. I’m at VivMabuni, M-A-B-U-N-I on Instagram and I have a website, vivimabuni.com that I have completely ignored since being in seminary. But I love staying connected with people, so that would be great.
Rachael Adams (40:47.246)
We will include that in the show notes. But speaking of how God hears us, would you pray for us as we close?
Viv Mabuni (40:53.78)
I would absolutely love that. Father, I thank you. Thank you that there are no accidents and thank you that you have allowed our listeners to hear this conversation. I pray that there would be nuggets that would be applicable that would help encourage our sisters to continue to walk with you and to rest in your love for them. And I pray that we would be women who would love you with our whole heart, soul, strength and mind. God, thank you that you see all things and you are at work. And even when we don’t see it, you are at work. And so I pray that you would infuse hope and perspective to those who are feeling like you’re quiet right now. And I pray that you would help each of us to implement the things we already know and that we would invest into reading your word and letting that all the swirly sediment settle in our souls that we would be able to see clearly and hear hear you as you walk and step help us to walk and step with your spirit and Thanks for this time. We love you in Jesus name. Amen
Rachael Adams (42:20.926)
Amen. Thank you, Vivian. I appreciate you being with us here today and encouraging us to know that God hears us.
Viv Mabuni (42:28.994)
Thanks for having me.
Rachael Adams (42:31.15)
Thank you for listening to the Love Offering Podcast. I hope today’s conversation with Vivian encouraged and inspired you to love God, love others, and even love yourself a little more. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and leave a review. It helps others find the show and spreads the message of love even further. To connect with me, visit rachelkadams.com. While you’re there, be sure to download the Love Offering Calendar, a free resource filled with simple daily ways to love those around you. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of my book, Everyday Prayers for Love, and to tune in to the God Hears Her podcast. A special thank you to Life Audio for supporting this podcast and making it possible to find more great podcasts. lifeaudio.com. Thanks again for joining us today. Until next time, let’s make our lives an offering of love.
