You and I are created by God for a unique purpose, and we are being developed into Christ’s likeness over a lifetime. Ephesians 2:10 states, “for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God is developing all of us through the ups and downs of life as we learn to trust and cooperate with Him.
His formation process involves the holistic transformation of our minds, hearts, and hands. When we see God’s intentional development in our lives, we can gain insights into His unique shaping and better cooperate with His formative work.
Jenny and I are taking a course called Living a Focused Life with several other One Challenge leadership couples. One of the exercises is to look at our life timeline from birth to 80 years. This was eye-opening to us as we realize this is only 19 years from now!
As we considered God’s formative experiences over the years, we were asked to consider, what is God’s emphasis? As we look into the future, we are asking what is coming toward me that I need to be aware of? This perspective is helping us gain new insights into God’s kingdom desires for us.
Another exercise was to identify the significant people in our lives and consider the influence of their values and life lessons. What we do flows out of who we are. A major part of who we are is made up of the life lessons, worldview, perspectives, and life values that we have picked up from others along the way.
This has been a very meaningful exercise for Jenny and me to consider the individuals who have had a profound impact over the years. In each season of our lives, we have noted key people who have been used by God to help form our character, mindset, and abilities.
This experience has given us a greater appreciation of each person’s influence and support in shaping who we are today. The question for us to consider is, who are people in our lives today that we are intentionally investing in for God’s development in their lives?
Thank you for the role you are playing in our lives as we follow Jesus Christ together. We continue to pray for God’s perfect formation in all of us.
For His glory,
Karl & Jenny