Dear sisters,
I am in between books. My extremely bright, big sis Nat – who I weathered three years of law school with – reads twelve books a year. I aspire to do the same. I shopped my bookshelf this week and could not find anything that called out to me.
But. I did notice some unfinished work.
As a practice, I go back through the pages of the book I just read and write out the highlighted quotes. This helps me take in the themes and truths over and over again. I highly recommend this practice. You can do this with books, devotions, the Word and posts. If you keep all of your notes together in one journal, you will love going back in time to become inspired.
Back to my point. Unfinished work.
I had not finished this practice for the book I read in the late fall of 2019. I flipped backwards through the pages of my journal to find where I had left off. I came upon, not just quotes, but a reflective challenge I took on from one of the themes in the book.
Immediately, I thought of you!
Yes! I am passing on this challenge to you!
You are going to come up with a few words that mean something.
To You. To Your Story.
Why? Why do that?
When we name the most meaningful parts of ourselves, we bring pleasure to God, our creator.
Then, we can be intentional. We can employ these meaningful words and put them into practice in our lives.
So, what’s the point of this challenge?
There is a dry and thirsty world waiting for you. The ability to define yourself will help you know how to resonate the gifts God has tucked into you to others. That’s the short version of Follow Your Calling!
Before you begin: Reserve 15-20 minutes of time. I recommend picking a pen you really like and paper you won’t lose. Choose a spot that speaks inspiration to you. I choose my backyard for this one.
Think about your story.
Not the details.
The big themes.
The themes that help you define yourself.
Write two or three words that make you you.
Do you need some help?
- Think of word that represents your greatest desire or pursuit.
- Think of a word that represents your personal joy or what gives meaning to your life.
- Think of a word that represents the part of you that you extend to others in love.
Now that you have a few words, let’s go!
For each word you wrote, how does that word help you know how to live your life with intention?
Yes, of course, here are some examples!
If you chose JOY, your story probably has some pain and hardship. You are a living example of Consider it all Joy! Or Beauty from Ashes. Or All Things Work Together for Good. How do you live that message through your life?
If you chose PEACEFUL, your story probably includes some chaos, uncertainty or confusion. You reflect the omnipotent quality of God. How do you live that message through your life?
If you chose LIGHT, your story probably includes some desperation, hopelessness or loss. You are a platform for others to see that Even Darkness is Light to Him. Or God is not Done Yet. How do you live that message through your life?
When you are finished, you should be able to say to yourself:
My words and how I aim to live my life make sense to me. This is who I was made to be. This brings joy to me, my Creator and the world around me!
If you’re like me and you love to share, don’t hold back!
Share this post with a friend!
Post one or all of your words and how you live them out in the comments to this post.
Or, send me an email at sasha@SashaAKatz.com.
Love,
Your Soul Sister Sasha