Knowing is
Once I discovered "I am a spirit, I have a soul and I dwell in a body", my journey began with seeking the source of my spiritual existence. My daily exploration of getting to "know" God has been life changing and empowering. Despite the experiences (trauma, heart break, disappointments, fear, insecurities...) that have taken root in my soul or the weakness in my body, I am strengthened and propelled forward by the Spirit of God in me. I understand so much more about myself and am excited about future discoveries. There is nothing more liberating than discovering self! I may not get answers from God on all the whys to what happens in my life but I have learned that "God always pays for what He orders". My confidence and focus increases as I learn who I am in all of my difference/uniqueness, quirkiness,gifting and strong yet introverted personality. Knowing there is a purpose in the "craziness" of Me, allows me to exhale and just be.
Being creates direction:
There is an inner satisfaction and effortlessness in just "being" who you were created to "be". Being comes after knowing. I have accepted there is only one me and no one is a better version of me than Me. I don't need to desire to "be like" anyone else but I do need to surround myself with people who inspire me to "be the best me" I can be.
I used to be hard on myself and consider my inability to stay angry/hold grudges against those who hurt or did me wrong, a weakness. I don't mean, let it go in a few days...by the end of the week/few months, I mean in a few hours/by the next morning, most of my anger would be diminished. I now know that God gave me the gift to encourage others and help strengthen them. Bitterness (unresolved anger) and depression (anger turned inward) are huge deterrents of encouragement. It is difficult to stay positive and to see the best in people when there is a cloud of bitterness/depression over you. I also learned the valuable lesson that "the measure in which we judge others will be the measure in which we will be judged". We all have done wrong and need mercy extended to us so we must extend it to others. Don't get me wrong, we cannot be foolish in how we walk in forgiveness but we must all take that walk (forgiveness is about freeing self, not the other person). My Being and Gifts create opportunities for me to Do what I was created to for (teach, encourage/strengthen others to start the journey of purpose).
Purpose is manifested in Doing:
There has been a ton of things written/published.....preached/taught on a "purpose driven life" over the past ten years or so. For me, there has been no better driving force in my life than each level of discovery I have made on .....Knowing who God is and who He created me to be...Being each new depth of what/who that is..... Doing what is instinctive of all of that. The peace, joy, confidence and strength that accompany me through my challenges today are far better than what used to keep me company (fear, insecurity, doubt, pain, disappointment). Purpose driven by knowing is empowerment partnered with perseverance.
Knowing, Being, Doing is a process....a life-long process. Be patient with yourself but also P.R.E.S.S. (Pray for guidance, Resist the temptation to quit, Embrace who you are, Seek understanding, Stand confident in knowing)
Post a Comment