The Story Behind AbideTransform
How discovering that prayer could be a real conversation with God changed my relationship with Him and led to the creation of AbideTransform.
Abide in me, and I in you...”
~John 15:4
About Sharon
For much of my life, prayer felt like something I said to God rather than a conversation with Him.
I loved God deeply and wanted to follow Him, but my experience of prayer was mostly one-directional. I would bring my thoughts, requests, and concerns to Him, yet I wasn’t sure how to recognize His response or experience His guidance. Then I discovered something that changed my relationship with God. I learned that I could listen for what He wanted to say about anything I brought to Him.
As I began listening and experiencing prayer as a real conversation with God, I started to notice His presence in ways I had not before. I discovered that God delighted in being with me and engaging with me, and that He was willing to guide me in the real situations of my life.
That discovery became a turning point in my journey with God and reshaped how I experienced my relationship with Him.
A Moment That Confirmed Everything
When I was first learning to listen to God and experience prayer as a real conversation, I often doubted and wondered whether I was truly hearing from Him. One of the most meaningful moments that confirmed this kind of relationship happened many years ago with my daughter who was about eight years old at the time.
She had been attending a sports camp at a church. On the last day when I arrived to pick her up, I saw her sitting alone on the gym floor with her hoodie pulled over her head, looking down. My heart sank. When she got into the car, she could barely hold herself together. As soon as the door closed, she began sobbing and told me that the other kids had called her names and wouldn’t let her play with them. I realized I couldn’t drive while she was that upset, so I stopped the car and sat with her in the back seat. I decided to try what I had recently learned about listening for God’s presence and guidance.
I asked her if she would be willing to try something with me. Through tears she said yes. I told her that Jesus is always with us, and asked her to close her eyes and see if she could notice His presence. After a moment she said quietly, “Yes… He’s standing over there.” I asked what He was doing. She said, “He’s walking toward me… He’s putting His arms around me… and He’s telling me that He loves me.” When she said that, my heart melted. The sobbing stopped. Peace came over her.
In that moment I saw something I would never forget — God had met my daughter in her pain and comforted her personally.
It reminded me that God is not distant. He delights in being present with us, and He longs to comfort, guide, and speak to us when we turn our attention toward Him. That experience became one of the many confirmations that God truly desires a living, interactive relationship with us.
Along with growing in my ability to hear the Holy Spirit’s guidance, I also learned the importance of discernment. Listening to God is something we grow in gradually, and what we sense must always align with what the Bible teaches, reflect the character of God, and produce the fruit of the Spirit. When what we hear meets these criteria, it becomes easier to recognize His voice and guidance.
The Importance of Walking With Others
As I began growing in this more interactive relationship with God, I also discovered how important it was to walk this journey alongside others. Learning to listen to God can sometimes feel uncertain. It is easy to question whether we are hearing correctly or to become discouraged when the journey feels slow or unclear.
God created us not only for relationship with Himself, but also for relationship with one another. When we share the journey with others, we are able to encourage and support one another while growing in discernment together. Community becomes a place where we can reflect on what we are hearing from God, learn from one another’s experiences, and continue growing in our relationship with Him. This shared journey makes spiritual growth more sustainable, encouraging, and life-giving. This experience shaped the heart behind AbideTransform.
The Beginning of AbideTransform
As I shared what I was learning with others, I realized that many Christians carried the same longing I once had — a desire to move beyond simply knowing about God to experiencing a living, interactive relationship with Him. AbideTransform grew out of that realization.
My desire is to create a space where women can gently explore practices that help them slow down, listen for God’s voice, and grow in awareness of His presence. This kind of space is often described as spiritual direction, a practice of walking alongside others as they learn to listen and respond to God in everyday life.
At the same time, AbideTransform emphasizes the importance of walking this journey together, encouraging and supporting one another as we share what we are learning and continue growing in our relationship with God.
An Invitation
If the story of my journey resonates with you, I invite you to explore AbideTransform and begin discovering what it looks like to walk with God in a more personal and interactive way. Together we are learning to listen for His voice, bring our real questions to Him, and grow in relationship with God alongside others.
