Prayer Investigator: Finding Joy as a Foreigner on Earth with Mabel Ninan

Guest Mabel Ninan shares her powerful story of moving 8,000 miles away from her home country of India to the United States shortly after getting married. The drastic life change left her feeling lonely, lost, and without purpose or joy for several years. Mabel opens up about the spiritual crisis she went through and how rededicating herself to Bible study reignited her passion for God. She discusses the pivotal realization that as Christians, we are just foreigners and aliens on this earth - our true home is in heaven. Mabel provides practical advice for keeping an eternal perspective, trusting God during uncertain times, and staying connected to His purpose for your life no matter where you find yourself. Whether you've gone through a big life transition or are just struggling with Purpose, Mabel's inspirational words will encourage you to push into joy.

Chapter Markers:

0:00 - Introduction 

1:30 - Guest Mabel Ninen's story of moving 8,000 miles and feeling lost
 
6:45 - How Mabel rediscovered joy through Bible study

11:20 - Realizing Earth is not our permanent home

15:10 - Practical tips for keeping trust in God during uncertain times

19:45 - Prayer for having faith to walk with God

23:20 - Keeping an eternal perspective during suffering  

27:15 - About Mabel's book "Far From Home"

30:00 - Closing thoughts and blessing

Linda Evans Shepherd is an international speaker and a best-selling author of 38 books including Praying Through the Hard Times. She is the CEO and founder of Right to the Heart Ministries which includes the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Arise Esther Movement, Leading Hearts Magazine, and the Arise Daily Devotionals.
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Transcript

 Mabel was 8, 000 miles away from home, feeling lonely and discouraged until she discovered the secret of pushing into joy no matter where she found herself. Stay tuned. Welcome to the Prayer Investigator. I'm Linda Evans Shepherd. My guest, Mabel Ninan, is a seminary student, a podcaster of a show called Far From Home with Mabel Ninan, and an award winning author of a book by the same name.

Mabel, we are glad to have you. Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me, Linda. This is an honor and a blessing. Now you have been on an adventure, and in your adventure you have traveled to a new home 8, 000 miles away. You've lived in seven different cities and in 10 different homes. And well, during the course of all of that, it made you feel kind of lost and lonely and, and a little bit without direction and purpose.

Tell us your story. How did you get back to joy again? So a little bit about myself and my background. I was born and raised in a Christian home. And right from the time I became a teenager, I was involved in youth ministry and all that. And when I was single, I went through a period of spiritual revival.

And so I was passionate about serving God. And I told him. I don't know when I'm going to get married, but I'm going to serve you with whatever I have, my time, my energy, my resources. And then when I got married, I moved to the U S immediately within a few months. So the time leading up to my marriage, I was on fire for God.

I thought nothing could shake me. And I did not really anticipate the struggles I would face. Because of the move, because I just saw it as an, as a move. I got married. I'm moving to another country, a new city, and this is the USA. I was excited  to move, but within a few weeks, I realized that I had left behind everything that was familiar to me.

I'd left behind my home, my family. I was facing a different culture. People were different. I had no friends here and I had never before in my life experienced that level of loneliness. It was very intense because I didn't know anyone in the country at that time, except my husband. And I think what made my problems worse was that we moved from 15 years, we've lived in seven cities, but initially we never lived in the same city for more than a year.

And so I never actually got to make friends or be rooted in one place.  And all these things that were going on in my mind about assimilation, about coping with change, they affected the way I saw myself and my self worth kind of plummeted. And this led to also a spiritual crisis. I was just going through the motions, just reading my Bible and praying because I had to, not because I really wanted to.

And I felt like I had no purpose. I had no joy. And so that's where I was maybe within the first two or three years of moving. It felt like I was just going downhill spiritually and emotionally. What helped you transition back to peace? When I became a mother, And some new mothers can probably relate to this.

I began to feel even more isolated. And I said, God, I am struggling to hold on to you on my own. I need community. I need to study the Bible with a group of women. I need to be accountable to someone. And so I just Googled Bible study near me. And, and I signed up. The first result that came up was a Bible study fellowship, BSF. 

And I signed up and there was one friend I had in the city. I called her and I said, do you know about this organization? She said, Oh, I've been doing BSF for 10 years and you're in the right place.  And so when I went to BSF, they were studying the book of Matthew at that time.  And I just fell in love with Jesus.

It's like all over again, studying the gospel of Matthew. I felt close to God and as I spent more time looking at Jesus and his life and how much he loves me and how he has called me to serve him, uh, my perspective changed. It's like he took my attention away from my own problems and was directing my attention onto himself. 

And God showed me that these feelings I had for  permanence, the longing I had for stability, for rootedness. What a shadow of the longing that I had for my eternal home in heaven. And I looked at verses like Philippians 3, 20, that say that we are citizens of heaven and verses in first Peter one and two that say we are aliens and foreigners on earth. 

And it occurred to me that I'm not supposed to feel at home anyway, here, because this is not my home. It became very real and tangible to me, what it feels like to not belong. And to not fit in because I was different in the way I looked and talked and behaved.  I realized that as Christians, that is how I'm supposed to be, whether I live in India or in the U.

S. or anywhere else. I'm supposed to live by a radically different standard. I'm supposed to live by the values of God's kingdom. And that's why I will never belong here. I also discovered, by reading the Bible, That this earth is not my home. It's a temporary place and  something familiar to us, right? We say it all the time that this is a temporary state, but if you really think about it, it brings home the urgency and importance of why we are here on earth.

We are here for a short time and we don't know when we will die or move on to heaven. So then what do we do? I feel like I was called to. pursue God's purposes, God's plans, and that was the urgent thing at hand, rather than seeking my own comfort or being  immersed in my own problems. And that changed everything for me.

I just started having more joy and I knew that no matter where I lived, that God put me there for a reason. And that my goal was to know what he wanted me to do and just follow his plan for me. And that just gave me so much satisfaction. It reordered my priorities, where I spent my time, how I lived my life, what relationships already I invested, things like that.

I made a complete u turn. And I want everyone  to experience that and to gain that kind of a perspective. Let me ask you, how would you recommend someone who was like, Yeah, I get it. I don't belong either. But. I'm still here on the earth. God hasn't called me home yet. And so what is the next thing, the next step that they need to do to get more connected with God's plan and purpose for them right now?

It happens when you walk every day with God in obedience and faithfulness.  And I strongly believe, you know, this as authors and speakers, we do so much in public,  What matters to God, what He sees and values and rewards is that everyday obedience and faithfulness. In the time that I spend on my knees praying, how I encourage other believers in faith, things like that.

And so, when we are clear what our purpose is, we want God to take control of everything in our lives. We want God to have all the compartments in our heart. And so that means that everyday, every moment we dedicate to Him. And we just surrender ourselves and let him direct our path. Oh, that's a beautiful picture.

To me, it's kind of like just being aware that God's miracle is right there with us. And part of that miracle is his presence and that we can trust him to lead us and guide us. 

That  was a big lesson for me. I learned that through all the changes, through all the uncertainty, I could trust God because He never changed. He never changes. His character remains the same. His words, His promises never change. And so I can anchor my trust, my security and hope. in God rather than in anything earthly.

What about the person who's saying, yes, but I'm looking around at what might happen in all the scary things that are going on out in the world today. How can I possibly walk with God when the future is so uncertain? That's a great question. And I can totally relate to that. I feel like that sometimes myself.

And I feel that this, um, concept of, um, Embracing our identity as foreigners on earth is especially important in today's time because with COVID and all the uncertainty and the divisions amongst us, all these things that are happening, they, they have made it clear to us that our earthly anchors are fleeting.

So we can no longer put our trust in science, in our good health. We can no longer put our trust, even in our leaders, our politicians. The only person now worthy of trust is God. So I know that the future might look scary, but one thing I try to do practically that helps me is to look at my past and reflect on God's faithfulness.

Like think back to all the miracles he's done for me, how he's blessed me. Even when I was.  sinning, right? Even in that situation, he protected me that I wouldn't go too far away from him. And he helped me in so many ways. And I'm sure when we look back in our lives, we can find those stories and we can reflect on them and meditate on God's attributes.

That way we can also meditate on God's words. Because sometimes there is a gap, like you said, we know it in our head, we know the promises, but when the situation comes, it takes over us and we are filled with fear and we don't know how to react. And that gap can be filled by taking practical steps like meditating on his word, thinking of his attributes, calling a friend and asking for prayer, playing worship music.

and in community serving one another. Those were the things that till today that I do when I find myself in that situation. Those are excellent suggestions and I especially love playing worship music. Boy, that can really take the edge off of any fear that might be trying to creep into your day. And one more thing I'd like to add, I was reminded of this yesterday through a Bible study that  We forget that God is passionately committed to us, to seeing us grow in faith.

He wants to preserve our faith. He wants to sanctify us. So He's committed to us. So if we are struggling to put our faith in Him, He understands. And when we ask for help, even to have faith, the Holy Spirit will help us. Mabel, could you pray for the person who's watching going, I wish I could have faith like that.

I wish I could walk with God like that. And could you just pray that they will be able to do that? Absolutely.  Dear God, we come into your presence with thanksgiving and praise and worship. Lord, you are our wonderful counselor, Prince of Peace, your God Almighty. And Lord, we pray for my brothers or sisters who feel like they are not able  to have faith and that they cannot take this journey alone.

I pray that you would remind them that you are Emmanuel, God with us, that they're not alone. You've never abandoned them. You've never forsaken them. You're always with them. You long to be close to them. And I pray, Lord, that you would send them practical help today. You would help them also take steps to find ways to get closer to you, to be in your presence.

Lord, whether it is listening to a sermon or playing worship music, I pray that you would help them. Remind them that you are with them. And I pray that you would send them help, surround them with people who will encourage them to walk with you. And as they endure, I pray that their faith would be strengthened, Lord.

Thank you so much in Jesus name. Amen. And I'm going to add a little prayer to that. And that is. Lord, may you be so big in my life  that you are the one I see and when fear tries to peek around you and cause me to feel panic, help me to turn my focus back on you because you love me and you have good for me.

And you want me to follow you all the days of my life. And I don't have to let fear tag along. Lord, just be with me and help me walk all the way through my life till the end of my days. And then one day I will see you face to face. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Mabel, do you have one more thing you can say to encourage our viewers?

I wanted to remind all of us. To keep a forward minded perspective, especially when we are going through times of suffering, this perspective is very helpful.  Paul says that he considers his momentary troubles nothing when he looks at his future glory.  And I am amazed at that because Paul's troubles were not light or momentary.

He went through horrible things, but he was comparing them to what was going to come. So for all my brothers and sisters who are going through a rough time, I would just encourage them to keep their eyes on the future, on their home in heaven, and remember that you are loved and that Jesus has gone to heaven to build a place for you and he longs to be with you.

And even through your suffering. He is walking with you. You're not alone. That is so encouraging. And I love your companion. You must tell us his name.  Yeah, this is Snowy. Snowy. Oh, so cute. What a great companion on our call today. And let me just ask you about your latest book, an award winning book. Tell us about your book.

Thank you. This is my book. It's called Far From Home, Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth. And in this book, I draw from my experience as an immigrant from India to America, and I examine biblical heroes who were immigrants themselves, Abraham, Daniel, Joseph, Moses, and Paul, to shed light on how we can live with purpose and joy as citizens of heaven and foreigners on earth.

And how can people get in touch with you? You can go to farfromhomethebook. com to know more about the book or me. And you can sign up to receive my emails where I send out a devotional. I'm also doing devotionals based on doctrine and that's the best way to keep in touch with me, but the, the website is farfromhomethebook.

com.  Oh, we certainly enjoyed you, Mabel, and also Mr. Snowy, who joined us today. And thank you so much for being on the program. Thank you, Linda. This was such a blessing to talk with you and to serve your audience.  I hope that you enjoyed Mabel's story today, and if you did, would you like, share, subscribe, and comment?

We'd love to hear from you, and we have a blessing for you. It is a beautiful blessing that you can play, pray, and print. Just go to  MyPrayerGift. com and remember, God loves you and He wants you to talk to Him. See you next time.

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