Experiencing God

I was doing some evaluation of my life back in the spring. I was trying to figure out where life was going after the release of my first book, “What Makes You Unique?” You write one book and then people are waiting for the second and the third. It took me so long to write the first one that people may be waiting an awful long time for another one. Before I wrote the first one I had a lot of life lessons that I had to learn before I was of any use as an author. So, that is the direction that I felt I needed to go before writing any more. What life lessons do I still have to learn? That is a scary question because life lessons are usually learned the hard way. I like to call them “character building exercises”, if you look at life lessons as an opportunity to grow than you are headed in the right direction.

So in order to grow I enlisted some help, currently I am participating in a mentoring program with Shannon Ethridge and a writing workshop with Valorie Burton. What a great opportunity for dramatic growth in my life over the next year.

As a part of my program with Shannon we are working through Dr. Henry Blackaby’s bible study “Experiencing God”. I can’t believe that I have never done this study before. It is fantastic! During my year of growth I have also agreed to teach the Grade 7-12 Sunday school class. We are working through the youth version of the study. I learn so much more when I am teaching rather than sitting in a class or individual study.

I was thinking the other day about how my choice of growing more as a person over the next year is not only affecting me but so many that I have contact with. In Day Two of the study it says that if you are asking God “What is your will for my life?” -- you are asking the wrong question. You need to take yourself out of it and ask “What is God’s will?” You need to examine where you are and where you see God working and join Him. Now that I have decided to step back I can see that so clearly now. I can see that with Shannon as well, by her following God’s leading to help other speakers and authors, she is in turn affecting me, which is affecting those that I have contact with. We are not so concerned with “my life” as we are with God’s will.

Try it out for yourself. For myself, I am finding life much easier to navigate. As Dr. Blackby’s professor once told him, “If you ask the wrong questions, you will get the wrong answer.” As you are navigating your day today make sure you are asking the right questions.