Learning On Purpose #3 Yourself

We are concluding the topic about our purpose journey and what we learn on it.   We talked before about first learning GOD.  He is the most important one since we need to know Him for guidance, for help, for life, and for hope.  It is in Him we live, move and have our being, we need to learn God.  Next we need to learn OTHERS.  People are not our enemy, the sooner we understand that, the sooner we can deal better with the things that hurt us.  When we learn people, we realize that we are not called to everyone, some people will not receive from me, but they will from you.  We need to learn our audience, learn the benefits of haters, and learn to forgive people... they are not the enemy.   Today we will talk about learning YOURSELF!

LEARN YOURSELF

When I turned fifty, something interesting happened, I no longer cared whether or not people thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.  I was no longer bothered because I was not connecting with the "in group" or feeling like I needed to get out of my comfort zone and do all the things I hated.   Instead I began to use my time, talent and treasure according to what I believed God was instructing me to do, not what others thought I should do.   As a result I have grown more in the last seven years, than I have in the prior ones.  I am more comfortable with the gifts God placed in me, more sure of my connection with Him, and I am really ready for what He has planned!  As a bonus, I found out that  I don't just LIKE me, I LOVE me. 

We can go through life under the shadow of people that we respect, whether mentors, parents, pastors, or even friends we care about, and if we are not careful we will forget that we belong to God, and  He made us how He did for a purpose.   I have learned (and am still learning) what works for me and what doesn't.  I have found peace in who I am, I have learned how to question when I really do need to get out of a box, and when God's boundaries for me require I stay in.    These lessons come from years of working on jobs with differing personalities, being under good and bad authorities, family issues, self image issues,  relationship joys and hurts, and difficult days when you had to fight just to find joy.  You will learn about YOU on this journey.  How long this lessons lasts depends on whether or not we accept the lessons and implement them.  God wants us to be better, whole and ready for whatever happens today and in our future, before He promotes us.   Unlike our school system, God does not see a failure in Himself if we don't get the lessons taught, He keeps on working on us until we get them.    We have a promise that says:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:  Phil 1:6

LESSONS OUT OF SEQUENCE

I recently realized something God did with me on my journey;  I learned lesson number 1 and number 3.  Later I learned number 7 and then number 5.   When looking at these numbers you realize that there is something missing if we are counting from 1-10.   That is sometimes our journey.  God lets us learn forgiveness, then He tells us about  His love and plan for us, He may then let you see a talent you have, and later you get hurt and you learn to have joy in the midst.  As you continue, you may work on a job and learn patience and organization, then find yourself having a heart for the homeless volunteering at church.  None of these things may seem to connect but they all point towards the lessons of your purpose journey, and you will need every one of them one day.   

Recently I  began thinking about a new project I am working on, and my sister told me "You have everything you need to do it!"  After thinking it through, she was right.  All of a sudden the proper sequence  of my purpose journey fell into place.   1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.   I saw my life almost FLASH before me and all the things that seemed to be a sidebar in my life, were now needed for this faith project!   God will cause ALL THINGS to work for your good and His glory! 

In closing, be encouraged today.  Know that God really does have a plan, and He is working it every day in you.  Every lesson, every encounter, every talent and every heart string will be in place by the time the big thing hits!   You might be thinking... "Not every purpose thing is a BIG thing."  And that is true to an extend, but it is a BIG THING to walk in what God has called you do do!  So continue learning, continue listening , and continue to enjoy your purpose journey!