Marisa Joshua
Perhaps it is in the pursuit of finding our place in a busy and crowded world that we inevitably discover, that we have been equipped by an all purposeful, all-loving God with unique gifts and talents to ‘create our own space’ in this life. As we journey to discovering who we are, we become more aware of our talents and abilities. When we become aware of our talents and abilities, we begin to understand how they will enable us to find our place and fulfill the divine purpose for which we have been created. Furthermore, we start to learn about the dangers of comparison and being led to believe that if we can’t do what someone else can then we’re “not good enough”.
The passion and longing to live out our dreams and to see our hearts’ desires come to life burns bright. That which was planted in us when we were formed doesn’t easily fade. Could it be that our hearts’ desires and God-given dreams have been planted in us to serve as our internal compass, steering our choices and pointing us in the direction of our place? Is it the drive we feel to do something meaningful with lives, to want to make our mark in this life, spurring us on when we feel like giving up and giving in to mere existence? Do our talents, unique abilities, and passion have a distinct connection to our purpose? Upon reflection on these, it becomes clear that our passion and our purpose are divinely intertwined. Our passion draws our focus in, our uniqueness gives rise to enable our successfulness in a specific area and our faith motivates us to go on even after a setback. As we are making progress in our journey, our character is being pruned and we’re being groomed in preparation for when we find that unique place set apart for us, to fulfill our divine purpose as we are discovering ourselves in the process.
The danger comes when we compare our abilities with that of others. This is because measuring our accomplishments by someone else’s achievements can set us far off from discovering who we are and creating the space that will fulfil our purpose. It could also be damaging to our emotional and mental wellbeing. We have not been created to compete against one another. When we celebrate our uniqueness and encourage others to do the same, we flourish into who we are created to be. By using our gifts and talents, by choosing courage over fear, exercising our faith, and choosing to believe our passion will drive us towards the place which has been set aside for each of us.
Our uniqueness serves to assist us in all aspects of our lives. How we manage our relationships, our career choices, our daily decisions – all work together like organs of the body, contributing to how we’re paving a way towards God’s purpose for our lives. It is important to mention that God is not standing on the sideline dishing out the events that take place in our lives; he simply is an all-powerful and loving Father who will use all of it to work together for our good if we trust in Him to do so. We are children of a heavenly Father who wants us to succeed in every area of our lives and has equipped us to do so. This is the overarching storyline of our lives. In knowing that we have been provided with the pen that writes the overarching storyline for our own life, what would you like to write about yours?
In an attempt to fulfil the needs of all those around them, to please and appease, women naturally wear themselves down by shedding off their true selves. If work colleagues are not comfortable with a female colleague expressing her emotions, she’ll ‘shake-it-off’, ‘toughen-up’, and ‘fit-in’.
Time goes by, and one day, those women realise they’re carrying so much baggage by allowing the clutter of trying to be what they’re expected to overwhelm them so much that their lives don’t express who they are as unique individuals, and they become less and less authentic in who they are. In trying to meet the external expectations, they become disconnected from their inner compass. This creates an urgent need to release some of the clutter to find and start living a purposeful and authentic life.
