I Am Guided by God’s Purpose
“In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:11-12
After years spent wrapped in my “wife and mom” identity, I found myself knee-deep in a painful and supremely uncomfortable situation: not only was I newly separated, but my kiddos had just gone to visit their dad for the weekend. For the next two days I’d be completely and utterly alone.
I sat, head in hands, on my couch, not sure what to do next: Go for a run? Clean the bathrooms? Throw myself on the bed for a cry? Energy bubbled inside. The house was so quiet without the constant little voices pleading “Mommy, play with me” or “I want a snack.” I was like a car without a driver—or a steering wheel. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel, nor did I want to let myself feel anything for fear I’d crack completely.
Catching sight of my reflection in a mirror, I paused as the long-haired stranger stared back at me. Who was I anymore? I had a great job and two amazing kids, but beyond that, beyond “mommy,” what was my purpose?
Months of soul-searching and prayer later, I understood: my purpose and identity had never been anything but “Child of God.”
In today’s verse, the apostle Paul offers words of encouragement to the early followers of Christ, reassuring that not only do they have hope and a future, but also a destiny especially designed for them by God long before they were ever born. We are part of His masterful, glorious plan, overwhelmingly beautiful, and far more important than any earthly role one can possibly imagine.
I still cherish my identity and purpose as “mommy,” still love the work I do. But my eyes have been opened, and now I see the light: my true purpose, the only one that really matters, is in God.
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministry team. She’s also an author who currently serves as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. She is the author of More Like Jesus: A Devotional Journey (2018) and editor of Stories of Racial Awakening: Narratives on Changed Hearts and Lives of South Carolina United Methodists (2018), both from her newspaper’s Advocate Press. She also writes contemporary women’s fiction, represented by Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2018 Genesis Contest. She has a faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com.
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