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Today, I am speaking with Melissa McLaughlin. She is a former elementary school teacher who focused on special education students. She spent 28 years nurturing young minds before an unexpected health crisis pushed her into early retirement.
What began as a season of debilitating back pain, discouragement and lost identity eventually became the doorway to Melissa’s next calling as a Christian blogger, author and devotional writer.
Melissa grew up in a loving Christian home in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. She credits her disabled younger brother with sparking her deep love for teaching and caring for others.
Yet, after decades in the classroom, Melissa found herself crying out to God when worsening pain left her unable to continue the work she loved. In that difficult season, she returned to scripture and discovered that God was writing a new chapter in her life.
Here are some key takeaways from my conversation with Melissa:
• First, Melissa explained how God used her darkest and most painful moments to draw her back to scripture and reshape her identity as his child rather than allowing her identity to rest in her professional accomplishments.
• Second, she shared how reading, collecting and personalizing scripture became a healing practice that restored her prayer life and eventually led to her first book. That teaches people how to turn Bible verses into heartfelt, scripture-based prayers.
• Third, Melissa described how her natural teaching gifts blended seamlessly with her faith when she launched a Christian blog and began attending writers conferences. That opened doors to publishing books and helping others grow in their walk with God.
• Finally, she reflected on the importance of taking small steps, being willing to learn new skills and following the doors the Lord opens, even when the path is completely unexpected.
Melissa McLaughlin talked about the two books she has written. Her first, titled “In Dark of Night When Words Fail Voice of Jesus Pray for Me,” grew out of a deeply personal season of suffering.
It teaches people how to use scripture as their prayer when they feel overwhelmed or unable to find the words themselves.
Her second book is “The Whole Bible Devotional.” It is designed to help readers see Jesus in every book of the Bible.
It offers 66 readings, each drawing from a chapter of scripture and followed by a heartfelt prayer to help people reflect on what they have read. Melissa’s goal is to help people to connect more deeply with God.
Writing these books, maintaining her weekly devotional blog and encouraging people through social media have become rich sources of meaning and purpose for Melissa today.
She finds joy in helping others rediscover the beauty of God’s word and in turning ordinary life experiences into spiritual lessons.
Then, she enjoys watching how God uses every chapter of her life, including the painful ones, to strengthen her faith and shape her calling.
Melissa believes our stories matter because God works through them. She also believes that people over 50 can find joy and purpose by paying attention to the unexpected doors God may be opening, and by trusting that the Lord often uses our greatest struggles to reveal our greatest strengths.
If you would like to follow Melissa or subscribe to her weekly devotional, visit melissamclaughlin.org.
Subscribers receive a free sample scripture prayer and can reach Melissa directly through her contact page or by email. She is also active on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Her two books, “In Dark of Night When Words Fail Voice of Jesus Pray for Me” and “The Whole Bible Devotional” are available on Amazon and in other bookstores.
That’s all for this week’s show. If you’d like to start living a more meaningful life, I encourage you to download our free guide to finding purpose, which is available at www.forwardfrom50.com.
I’ll have another inspirational interview on the next episode of the Forward From 50 podcast. Thanks for listening. If you like this show, please consider leaving a review wherever you download the episodes.
If you order a copy of Melissa’s book from a link above, Forward From 50 may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
