Discovery
Psalm 16:5-8 (Amplified Bible)
5The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; You hold and maintain my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good heritage.
7I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Each season of life has its unique blessings, which is why I've never looked back with longing to the past. Why would anyone exchange the adventure of "now"-- the excitement of being part of God's unfolding plan--for a re-run of the wonderful moments of the past?
The last couple of days I've shared some thoughts on finding our purpose--discovering that who we are--even more than what we do--is a gift to those around us.
In earlier seasons of life, thinking deeply about this would have been more of a luxury. Being a busy young mother of small children had many blessings, but lots of time for reflection wasn't one of them. Here I am now in grand-parenthood, and busy as life is, that is often my own choice and I do have more of that precious commodity so scarce in earlier years. At the same time, I am more aware than ever that it is a finite resource and to be treasured and stewarded carefully.
So how do we discover our purpose when we finally have time to think about it? The scriptures I've included today hold some clues. Psalm 16 and Ephesians 2 both confirm that we are created for and assigned a purpose. We don't want to miss God's best by settling for less than finding it.
A book I read this year,"The Creative Call," by Janice Elsheimer helped me think about what I was like as a child, the things I loved to do and dreamed of doing. The seeds of our purpose can often be found there.
My passion for writing as a child, lay dormant for decades, but as it reawakened in recent years, my identity and call has come into clearer focus. For others it will be something unique to them, but just as clear.
Amy Carmichael wrote in her journal of a French missionary to the Huron who made a vow of "perpetual stability." He meant by this the giving of the whole life to those to whom he had been sent. It made me think that it could also mean the giving of the whole life to that for which we were created.
We discover our path by listening to God's voice, following his leading; making priorities and decisions a matter of prayer--then being true to the thing God created us for.
Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible)
10For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
5The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; You hold and maintain my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good heritage.
7I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.
8I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Each season of life has its unique blessings, which is why I've never looked back with longing to the past. Why would anyone exchange the adventure of "now"-- the excitement of being part of God's unfolding plan--for a re-run of the wonderful moments of the past?
The last couple of days I've shared some thoughts on finding our purpose--discovering that who we are--even more than what we do--is a gift to those around us.
In earlier seasons of life, thinking deeply about this would have been more of a luxury. Being a busy young mother of small children had many blessings, but lots of time for reflection wasn't one of them. Here I am now in grand-parenthood, and busy as life is, that is often my own choice and I do have more of that precious commodity so scarce in earlier years. At the same time, I am more aware than ever that it is a finite resource and to be treasured and stewarded carefully.
So how do we discover our purpose when we finally have time to think about it? The scriptures I've included today hold some clues. Psalm 16 and Ephesians 2 both confirm that we are created for and assigned a purpose. We don't want to miss God's best by settling for less than finding it.
A book I read this year,"The Creative Call," by Janice Elsheimer helped me think about what I was like as a child, the things I loved to do and dreamed of doing. The seeds of our purpose can often be found there.
My passion for writing as a child, lay dormant for decades, but as it reawakened in recent years, my identity and call has come into clearer focus. For others it will be something unique to them, but just as clear.
Amy Carmichael wrote in her journal of a French missionary to the Huron who made a vow of "perpetual stability." He meant by this the giving of the whole life to those to whom he had been sent. It made me think that it could also mean the giving of the whole life to that for which we were created.
We discover our path by listening to God's voice, following his leading; making priorities and decisions a matter of prayer--then being true to the thing God created us for.
Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Bible)
10For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Comments