Lady friend, are you living out your God-given calling or dream?
Or has it gotten lost in ravages of time, life's busyness, and the endless meddling of the Enemy?
Do you want to change that today, right now, and begin to reclaim what lights you up and brings you joy? While impacting the Kingdom at the same time?
Yes, friend, you do!
Whether you're 24 or 62, it's never too late to realign yourself with the calling God has for you.
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through three easy methods that will help you unearth that long lost dream. Let's do it, sister!
Show Notes:
Intro
A few episodes ago, I did a bonus episode where I talked about how the thing that God has created us to do is often the thing we end up losing somewhere along the way.
Either the Enemy has purposefully distracted us or gotten us off that path; or life has gotten too busy; or we just somehow found ourselves far away from that thing we were meant to do. That we love to do.
I shared my story in that previous episode, and now I want to help you rediscover what it is that you’re meant to do.
1) Look back to your childhood
Your childhood can be a great indicator as to what God created you to do because this is before grown-up responsibilities and life got in the way. As children, we also operate with abandon. Whoever we are, we are.
(At least, ideally. We all know that, as women, we learn early on that certain things are quote, unquote, for boys. And we’re subject to the messaging of our culture.)
But regardless, all of us can look back and see who we were and what made us happy. ‘Cause we just did it! Even someone like myself, who grew up in a very abusive home, can see who God created me to be.
So look back, revisit fond memories, and ask yourself, “What stands out?” You can also ask family members as sometimes they’ll have memories we don’t recall. Or they can offer another perspective.
What did you love to do? What did you do despite people telling you not to? (Kinda breaking the rules ‘cause you just had to do it!) What consumed all of your free time? What did you focus on? What were you constantly trying to get the adults to pay attention to?
Jot down what comes to mind and then continue to ruminate on it. Look back through photo albums. Go on a journey to rediscover what it is that lit you up to the core!
2) Look back for breadcrumbs or milestones
Look back into your past overall, from childhood until today. What specific moments or memories come to mind or stand out? Ones that brought you a lot of joy. Even if they seem “small” or random.
Often, because who we are and what we like to do gets lost or buried, it’s those “small” or out-of-place moments that actually provide the best clues. It’s as if, for a moment, our true selves got to poke our heads out of the water.
For me, some of these moments are kind of random. But in others, it’s as if God was purposefully placing what I call breadcrumbs into my life. At the time, they seemed random and almost overlooked. But when I look back now, I realize that they’re actually confirming moments. Because God knew, eventually, that He would lead me back to who He created me to be. And looking back, and recognizing that it was God in those specific memories, gives confirmation to what He’s doing now.
It’s like He’s saying, “See? You’ve always been a creator and encourager. That’s what I created you to be. And I love you so much that I purposefully sprinkled breadcrumbs into your history as reminders.”
The other thing I will note about as you look back and unearth these moments, give yourself time. It’s not uncommon for these moments to be sitting forgotten in our own memories because they were tiny or seemingly insignificant at the time. Or, they got lost amid other chaotic, busy, or tragic events that were happening at the time.
So by all means, start with a brain-dump in one sitting. But also give your brain time to process this line of thought and unearth anything that you may have forgotten.
3) Look around you now
So we’ve looked in the past - which can be helpful. What about the present?
Even if you don’t feel like you’re currently living out your God given calling or dream, you can still find clues to who you’re meant to be. It just requires some sneaky investigating.
And, again, this means unearthing what we might consider “small” things. Things that are in front of us - but we’re not really focusing on, thinking about, or registering.
It’s akin to focusing on your peripheral vision. What experiences or items in your life today light you up - even if it’s not something that receives a lot of your attention?
Let me give you an example. I’m highly creative. So the mere sight of colored pencils, crayons, and coloring books delights me! I have an IKEA cart in my living room full of creative items just like those, and just looking at it as I walk past it numerous times a day fills me with joy.
Makes sense, right? I’ve shared before that God created me to encourage and inspire people through creativity. So anytime I come upon art supplies, pretty designs, etc. … It lights me up in a special way.
What lights you up in your life? Again, it might not be something you’re spending a lot of time on at the moment. We’re unearthing. But is there a store you walk by? An activity that lights you up like nothing else? Have you run into something recently that reminded you of something you loved to do as a child - or you just really connected with?
In another episode, I shared how I came across a wood cutout of the word “Inspire” several years ago when they were all the rage. It wasn’t a color I prefer when it comes to decor. It wasn’t a type of decor item that I’d buy in general. But because it connected so strongly to who God created me to be, I bought it anyway!
What in your life has the same effect? It may take some digging and time for those things to come to light. But I bet now as you purposefully keep this search top-of-mind, things will jump out at you.