Have you ever struggled with any of the following questions? I know I have.
Who am I? Why am I here? What does it mean to be me?
How does my belief affect who I am and what I do?
What is my purpose? What do I believe?
Perhaps since we are ever growing and changing, we should revisit these questions periodically. We need to be sure we are anchored in truth. Sometimes when we gain more understanding our views may either change or be made stronger.
Some truths will never change.
We are born into the family of God by believing in Jesus through the faith that God gives us. Because of this we are secure in His love.
Our faith may be sorely tested, but God is faithful.
He will go with us and will never leave us even when it seems like we are alone. If we continually look to him we will eventually realize he is there and see his hand at work. I know, because I’ve been there many times.
Who am I? Why am I here?
I am a woman created in the image of God by the great Creator himself. He loves me and has made me his child, which gives me great worth. My life should be at least a partial reflection of the essence of God. His image is stamped on me and his Holy Spirit lives within me. For this reason, I am able to bring glory to God and demonstrate His existence in many ways.
Because God…
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- is Creator, I am able to create.
- is love, I am able to love.
- cares for and encourages me, I am able to care for others.
- gives me peace, I can help others to find peace.
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What is my purpose? What do I believe?
Purpose is a loaded word. It can apply to one overarching goal in life or to one simple task. Besides bringing glory to God, I believe part of my purpose is to encourage other people, especially other women. Most of us probably have an overall purpose, but also many smaller ones that ultimately point to our greater purpose.
I believe:
- there is one God who created us all.
- in Jesus, his son, who is God incarnate. He died and rose from the dead to pay for our sins since we could not do it for ourselves.
- God gave us the Holy Spirit to help bring us to Himself, teach us His ways, and enable us to do what He has called us to do every day of our lives.
- God is a trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
How does my belief affect who I am and what I do?
Some may think that because I am a Christian my life will be boring and dull with no excitement. Don’t I have to follow a rigid set of rules with no room to try new things? Or maybe I’m doomed to be one more link in the chain and forget about all my desires. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
It is a relationship with a Person, Jesus Christ, and my very foundation for life. It keeps me grounded and begs me to reach for the light. He enables me to continue to grow, to stretch my wings and fly toward my fullest potential. Rather than squelch my creativity, I have a desire to explore and try new things. I am free to discover who I am and what ways I am uniquely me.
What does it mean to be me?
I’ve saved this question for last intentionally, because my being, my essence, draws from all that I’ve said before. Besides my calling as wife, mother and grandmother, I believe God has more in store for me. He created me in His image with many desires and abilities, some known, some yet undiscovered.
My job does not define me. I am more than what I do.
I am a writer, an artist, a musician, a teacher, a lover, a baker, a photographer, and a crocheter. I’m also an encourager, a hostess, a finder of beauty in ordinary places, and much more. Now I don’t do all these things at once and I’m not an expert by any means. But they all are part of me.
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- I want to BE fully…
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- present in whatever situation I find myself, the pleasant and the unpleasant alike, because God is there whether I see him or not.
- aware of my surroundings, to take in the beauty as well as the ugliness.
- engaged with my whole being – all my senses – to not miss any of the wonder of life that meets me every second of every day.
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My challenge to each of us is that we will:
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- Look for the wonder in each day.
- Fulfill our tasks with the attitude that each one is important.
- Know that we are making a difference in our world.
Will you take the challenge with me?
With God’s help we can learn to be grateful and look for the good.
My belief system is the source of my strength, because it is more than a system.
We cannot reach everyone, but we can brighten the lives of those we meet every day.
Individually our offerings may seem like only a drop in the bucket, but collectively we can make a big splash!
I’m linking up with: #Glimpses, #LMMLinkup, #inspirememmondays, #IntentionalTuesday, #TestimonyTuesday, #Grace&Truth, #TellHisStory, #FreshMarketFriday
Hi Gayl! I have been asking myself these questions for the last month or so. It’s easy to get confused, and think that we’re not in the right place, or doing the right thing.
I think God honors our desire to do his will, but I also think we are usually doing it! Just to be more aware each day, as you said, of his power and movement in our lives is a great beginning to relationship. It sure sounds like you have many, many ways to use your gifts for praise.
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil, I’ve missed you! It’s good to hear from you again. I trust you had a good summer.
Thank you for your encouraging comments. We do have a wonderful God who cares about even the little things.
Many blessings to you! Have a great week!
Individually our offerings may seem like only a drop in the bucket, but collectively we can make a big splash! – Love that!
Thanks, Mandy! It’s true that we’re better together! Blessings to you!
It’s so wonderful to know that we can be ourselves because God is an ever-faithful God who never changes. Thanks for these reminders, Gayl!
Thanks for stopping by, Lisa, and for your encouragement! Yes, our God is faithful!
Blessings to you and have a great week!
Such a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing the core of what our life is meant to be. What a wonderful reminder to me that I am God’s child and I can live each moment with joy because my purpose is to live for Christ.
Thank you, Valerie! I’m glad you were encouraged here today.
Many blessings to you!
Being present – not looking for something better but living in the something we have is so important and my challenge to myself right now so this post was timely for me.
Stopping by from InspireMeMonday
Isn’t it great how God reinforces our desires by bringing things to our attention just when we need it? Being present is a continual challenge for me, too, not to keep wishing things were different, but to be thankful and content right where I am.
Thanks for visiting, Carol! Many blessings to you!
So glad God understands our humanity…because otherwise, He’d probably be up there saying…”what’s with these humans and all the questions?” 🙂 *smile* Somehow feeling like we understand helps us feel like we have some control, I think. Good post, Gayl, thanks for sharing. Great to visit with you today. 🙂 ((blessings))
I’m glad God understands, too. Our questions aren’t too small or too big for God to handle. I also think the more we relinquish the control we think we have, the more we realize that His way is best.
Thank you for visiting, Brenda! Have a good rest of the week! Blessings to you!
I really enjoyed reading your answers. And your challenge should be easy but it isn’t. When I forget about my purpose and be content I what situation I am in, I loose my focus. thank you for your wise words
Thanks, Kristina. Yes, I know it should be easy but it really isn’t. 🙂 I appreciate your encouragement!
Many blessings to you, dear Kristina!
Gayl, this is so packed full of wisdom! I believe we will never know this side of heaven how discovering and following our purpose will impact the world. And when we are following our God-given purpose, we can be fully present and thankful. This week we are sharing on this very thing for the Fresh Market Friday link-up, and I would love for you to share your heart and your message!
Thank you, Crystal! I think you are right about not knowing how what we do will impact the world, but God does! Thank you for your encouragement. I’m honored to link up with #FreshMarketFriday!
Many blessings to you!
These are such foundational truths, Gayl, that we all need to grasp and integrate through our faith in God. I’m so glad you shared this and I hope it encourages and clarifies the amazing identity we possess in Christ.
Beth, thank you so much for your encouraging words. We do have such a wonderful identity in Christ. I, too, hope it encourages many.
Blessings to you!
These questions cross my mind often. I am thankful that with God’s help, I am making a different in the world. There is so much here to chew on.
Thanks for your comments, Barbie! I know that God is using each of us to make a difference right where we are. We may not know how many people are encouraged by us, but God does. He will help us to be faithful.
Many blessings to you!
Gayl!! This is SO beautiful, and encouraging! I’m on board to help make that big splash!!
Much love and hugs!! ❤
Peggi, thank you so much! With so many of us writing to share God’s love, we have to make a big splash, right?! Much love and hugs right back to you! xoxo