Hope and Change Is In The Air
Happy New Year! It’s that time of year where hope is restored and change is in the air. Many people use this time to make resolutions for how they will be different… how they will bring about the changes they hope to see. People will try to change their eating habits, sleeping habits, what they watch, who they spend time with, and anything and everything to help create that life they want.
What Does God Want For You?
If you tend to partake in this annual ritual of making declarations, let me try to persuade you to consider one thing: what does God want to see in your life?
I believe that in this question lies all the joy and fulfillment in life. The God who made the earth, stars, and everything, uniquely created you and me to a specific design that He saw before pulling light from darkness.
Not everyone is created to make piles of money, have kids, or travel the world. Not everyone is to be a missionary, minister, or Sunday school teacher. God made us all differently, so not everyone will like those things.
Discovering How God Made You
Discovering who God created you to be is my greatest prayer for each of you. Once we find this out, we know those areas we are called to walk into, activities we were specifically designed to do, and people who would respond to us. We would become more effective because we would be more connected to how we were created.
Sometimes prayer is hard for people because they don’t know who they were created to be. Sometimes we push down feelings of fame, money, or significance because we don’t feel it is very spiritual.
But what if God made you to be like a Bill Gates and make insane amounts of money so that you can fund programs that would improve the world? What if God has increased your popularity so that you can provide a different standard of living than what the world understands? Not every Christian must be in full-time ministry.
An Incredible Tool for Discovering How God Made You
The challenge for most people is discovering how God made you. This journey of discovery is unique to each person. What are those things that excite you? What stories engage your heart? These are all clues to understanding yourself.
Several years ago, a friend of mine, Andy Mason, challenged me to write down my 100 dreams. They were to be things I really wanted to see happen in my lifetime. Some would be professional dreams, some dreams for my family, and some would be personal, fun dreams – places I wanted to visit, things I would like to do.
I believe this activity helped me to discover more about what God put in me than any other tool. Writing a hundred dreams caused me to stretch myself to find what I would really like to see happen. I could then also start to see themes.
How This Tool Helps In the Discovery
For me, I could see how much I desired to influence others, especially to bring hope into their situation. I also saw that my love for my family extended to others experiencing family, as well. Finally, I admitted how much I enjoyed traveling and experiencing new things.
When the idea came for my wife and me to travel to China to help teenage orphan girls, I could more easily say yes, because, I could see how it fit into the desires God placed in my heart.
I would encourage you to write down your hundred dreams. Awaken your heart to how God created you. Ignite your prayer life with dreams you want to see happen. Make this coming year amazing by partnering with God and engaging in what He has put in you.