Welcome to Write 31 Days– 10 Things You Can’t Change About Yourself. As you may already know it’s October and I’ve signed up to participate in the Write 31 days event. Every day I will be offering information to you about the 10 things unique only unto you so stay with me and meet me back here every day! You are truly unique and especially God-designed so visit here everyday to confirm that truth.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why you’re here? Has your mind ever just stayed on reasons for your being, activities and purpose? Do you feel there is something you’re to do, be, or accomplish? I do. Deep down I know there is something I’m to do. I know deep within me there is a purpose for me. I know it’s of God. I just know it.
Wondering about purpose and reason is natural, real and even important. We all go through so many different thought processes as we live out our lives. There are times that we experience different emotions prompted by the events in our lives. There are times we are on the mountain top but there are also times we hit rock bottom. From hitting rock bottom to being on a mountain top, life can be like a rollercoaster. As a result, our mind searches to understand our purpose, and reason for being. As the old slogan goes, “Inquiring minds want to know”.
Thought patterns can frighten us or take us to the highest possibilities in life. However, during those low times in our lives we really may find ourselves wondering why in the world we are here on this earth. It is in those valleys that we need confidence that God does indeed have a purpose for us as we move forward.
If you will stay with me over the coming weeks, we will accomplish much in terms of understanding our reason for breathing. During this time together, I want to share with you 10 of God’s unchangeables about your person. There are truly at least 10 things that God did for you that you cannot change and therefore it stands to reason that He, the Creator of all had a specific purpose for you and you alone. Not only did God have purpose for you but also for those in your circle of influence. You will see that He has reason and value in your creation and that those in your inner-group coupled with personal things about you are actually a part of your unchangeables. Those unchangeables make you who you are; a living, breathing, spiritual soul.
The Bible says that God had you in mind “before the foundation of the earth” and if you’ve ever wondered why you’re here, this study may help you see your reason for being. You were born of His grace and for His purpose and glory. I hope you will stay with me as we consider His work in your life.
How This Study Can Best Benefit You?
In order for this work to really help you, please spend time with me daily so as to get the most out of this study. Every day we will delve into the reasons and purposes for mankind, God’s creation and specifically- you. Here are some things you can do to get the most out of our time together:
* Join me online everyday as you consider who you are
* Read and even print off a copy of each day’s study to help you ponder its meanings for you
* Discuss each day’s study with those in your inner-circle
* Share the link for others to consider their purpose
* Begin a study group to talk about your purpose and hopes for tomorrow
Why I Wrote This Study
The Guinness World Records book indicates that the best selling book of all time is the Holy Bible. According to it’s website, “ the Bible is the world’s best-selling and most widely distributed book of all time. A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies of the [Holy Scriptures] were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion.”
People are looking for answers as to who they are and about their purpose and so they seek the Bible to help them determine who created them and what God, the author of that book has for them. Answers can be found in the Holy Word of God.
In 2002, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church brought about a publishing frenzy when The Purpose Driven Life book became a bestseller on four major best selling lists. According to Writers Write The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly all had Warren’s book of purpose on the best seller’s list for an incredible unprecedented 114 weeks. This book of hope and encouragement for each and every person on earth became a phenomenon of best selling books for 2003, 2004 and “the bestselling nonfiction hardback history with sales of more than 22 million copies”. With the selling of God’s Word, the best selling non-fiction book being one of God’s purpose, and the hundreds of thousands of books on faith, it is plain to see people are hungry to find out who they are and what God has for them.
To provide a continuance of the ever-wondering, ever-daunting question of purpose, I wrote this work and if only one person gained more insight into purpose for his or her life, it will have been worth it. People of all ages, genders, ethnic backgrounds, nationalities and more want to know their purpose. Knowing who we are and why we’re here is a natural wondering. What we do know is that many people do not realize their reason for being. Many have no idea that God has placed them with certain circumstances and with particular people to achieve His purpose for their lives. If they knew this, great works would be accomplished by many. In truth, there are really no simple people with uninteresting lives. All people have value, purpose and opportunity to do great and grand things.
Trying to figure out God’s will for our lives is probably one of the major issues in our everyday doings. Every single day each of us get up and begin “doing” things. If we had clear direction of our purpose, those “doings” would be based on those unchangeables in our lives. Having known our purpose, we would certainly choose those things to do that make that difference as we live out our reason for being.
For over 36 years I worked in the educational system. Day in and day out I worked with children, young people and adults with purpose. I had opportunity to see the very nature of a person’s being. Right before my eyes-view was their appearance, intelligence, nationality, parental influence, personalty and more. Each person was on their own with a reason for being. What one child could do, another could not. The look in one person’s eyes was completely contrary to the vision in another. The drive of one individual superseded the desire of another. They were all different. Never in all of my years of teaching did I see two children who were alike and that included the many twins who sat in my classroom. Each person was different and by God’s design. Many under the sound of my voice realized their purposes and took to it like a duck to water. Sadly, others had no focus and did not understand that they had a reason for being. What a struggle for those individuals but over the years there were many times that a person would recognize their calling and begin a new focus changing his or her life forever. That is my hope for you. I hope that you will see what is yours to do.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
Renee Sterns, author , speaker and founder of Proverbs 31 Devotions visited the West Bank and upon her time spent met with many who felt there was no hope for them. This prompted her to ask herself, “What is mine to do?”. Rather than give in to depression or hopelessness, she determined she would instead begin asking God for his purpose in assignment. In her writing posted on December 30th she concluded with this prayer:
“Dear Heavenly Father, our world is so broken. But You’ve empowered each of us to do something to help heal it in Your Name. We can’t do everything but You’ve entrusted us with something. Help us to identify our assignment and to seek Your strength to carry it out. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” –
Well, what is yours to do?
So what is it that is yours to do?
Cricket Keeth, an author and contributor of Bible.org writes in her article “Joseph: The Man with a Divine Purpose, that Joseph was “handsome, a first born, favorite son” and was gifted with dream interpretation. All of those things about Joseph made him who he was, for a purpose and over time gave him things that were “his to do”. What about you? What is yours to do?
In this series, we will consider 10 unchangeables about you. There are at least 10 things about you that are truths which cannot be denied. God created you for a certain purpose and when these things are understood, a person can move forward for a better understanding of reasons in life.
Thomas Alva Edison has been described as “America’s greatest inventor”. Wikipedia reports that he was a “prolific inventor holding 1,093 US patents in his name”. He also had patents in the UK, France, and Germany. “His widespread impact of inventions were: the electric light, power utilities, sound recording and motion pictures. Because of Edison’s contributions new industries world-wide were begun. It was his to do. He had the smarts, opportunity and the time was right for him to advance the work in these fields. And you? What is yours to do?
From my early years of working with teachers in the professional development office of the Duval County School system, personality training was a part of some of our workshops. Using the Myers-Briggs personality test, teachers answered questions to help them determine if they were introvert or extrovert, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, one having judgement or perception. These personality traits helped teachers understand that they had definite “preferences” in the way in which they dealt with the world, accessed information, processed action and performed in a work setting. We are all unique. Each one of us have certain behaviors belonging to us and those behaviors add to those important things that make us who we are and which help us determine what we are to do.
During my years in education, history was always a favorite topic of mine. My father was a story teller and all of my young life and on into adulthood my dad told my siblings and me stories. Grown out of that love for those of great importance, I took interest in newsmakers, the rich and famous and people of significance. For five years, I published a magazine, Jacksonville History, highlighting the history of our great city. This led me to have opportunity to photograph a variety of people including those who visited the area such as Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet Union statesman, The King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sophia, pioneers of the internet including Google’s Eric Smith, Vince Cerf, one of the fathers of the internet, Leonard Kleinrock, the professor who sent the first message on ARPANET(the early version of the internet) , Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and Michelle, Oprah Winfrey, the former television talkshow host, Coretta Scott King, wife of Civl Rights Activist Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks , The Queen and King of England; Queen Elizabeth and King Phillip, The Prince of Wales, Prince William and his wife, Kate, and recently, Donald Trump, the businessman running for President.
It was mine to do. I had the magazine, the vision, passion, ideas and desire to go and spend time, and so I did and was able to photograph and see many first hand. For years in my classroom I had a”Wall of Fame” where many of my photographs of these and more hung with stories for the children available simply by the asking. These stories were important and valuable as I could relay eye witness truths to students in a real academic setting. It was mine to do.
As I put together my thoughts about purpose and the reason for being, I come from it through many years of being able to look back and see how God used instances in my life to provide focus for me and broad understanding of others. As an educator working with people, I have been able to see by my experiences that God’s purpose is different for each individual based on a minimum of 10 unchangeables given to each. I’ve been able to see with my own two eyes that those who embrace those 10 things about their lives are much more likely to find success in life than those who reject them or in fact are not even able to recognize them.
For example: Some years ago I put forth a “Living Legacy” program for children whereby the students chose some business man or woman from the community to follow, write, meet, and greet. We scoured the newspaper to find people of prestige and importance in our city and from that venue students selected a person. From the start students would ask this person to allow him or her to get to know each other such that a biography could be written and a portrait drawn by the student. One particular student nor her parent understood the impact of this student’s artistic ability. Neither the parent nor the child realized the absolute talent given her to be able to draw a realistic drawing of the business man chosen. In preparing for the meeting day, student’s work was placed on art boards and covered with a black tarp. When the day came for the unveiling and the student’s works were uncovered from the black drapings set for the ultimate “unveil”. The entire room gasped at the beauty and significance of this particular student’s work. The child was even awarded a certificate at the school board meeting. She met and was honored by the superintendent. From that point forward, this child and her parents realized her great giftedness in this area and her life was forever changed.
Gifts and talents that God gives are developed out of unchangeables from Him, the ultimate giver of life and purpose.
Now what about you? Has your life been changed forever? If not, stay with me as we delve into your personal situation. And, if so, stay with me for reasons to sharpen your minds-eye about who you are. I hope to see you back here tomorrow. Until then…think about who you are and why you’re here on this earth. There is certainly a reason. What is yours to do because there are 10 things you can’t change about yourself. Find out what they are! ‘Meet you back here tomorrow.
(Also known as Josie)
