A life lived with God is a life lived with purpose, drive, and immeasurable joy.
A while back, I wrote about the lies that society and the world around us fills our minds with and eventually leads us to believe.
Today I wanted to share the good news of the truth God has provided amidst a world full of lies and deceit.
Now I have to admit, on any given day these truths aren’t always easy to find believable and live out, but I try every day to trust God a little more and find more truth.
1. I am unconditionally loved
Man, this is something I struggle with. We all have this desire to be loved, however we tend to look for it in all the wrong places. You may find a temporary love here, but eternal and unconditional love is offered by our Savior and that is so powerful.
2. I don’t have to live a perfect life
In a world that tells us that perfection is the goal, God reminds us that it is in our imperfections that we grow and learn and become closer with him. Therefore, we should cherish our imperfections and realize the Lord is working through them.
3. God has a perfect plan for me, even when I don’t have one for myself
If you’re anything like me and like to have every split second of your life planned out, this can be a hard one to accept. The reality is though, that God marked out a path for us before we even took our first breath and His plan is so much more thought out than ours ever could be.
4. There is reason behind everything
Yeah, yeah, yeah how many times have you hear that one? But the thing is it’s so true! Every season of hardship, sadness and weakness that I have encountered in my life has eventually brought a lot of good, it just takes a step back and some time to recognize it.
5. Friends are God’s way of speaking to me
Ever wish you could just speak directly to God? I would recommend speaking to one of your close friends that has a relationship with God. It’s crazy how the Lord uses our friends to speak to us it times that we feel He is being silent.
6. Mistakes are okay to make
We have come to believe that mistakes are horrible things that should be avoided at all costs. However, making mistakes makes us so much stronger and helps us to learn and grow in ways that we otherwise wouldn’t.
7. A little bit of progress is still progress
Sometimes I get in these ruts where I feel like I’m not growing or learning or making any progress at all. I’ve come to learn though that it is all about the mindset. If you change your perspective to see every small step as a large victory, a little bit of progress is worth celebrating.
8. Life is meant to be lived in relationship with others
At first I thought this meant intimate relationships with guys. I couldn’t have been more wrong. God has used my friendships and my relationship with my family in the past year to completely transform this view and make me realize that my relationships all around me are such a gift.
9. I don’t have to have it all figured out at age 20
How many times have you felt stress or anxiety about your future before the age of 20? How ridiculous is that?! We have the rest of our lives to stress, we should be embracing the unknown and trusting that God has an intricate plan for us and isn’t going to let us down.
10. I am fearfully and wonderfully made
This comes straight from Psalm 139:14, just my favorite verse of all time. The world is constantly telling us that we are pretty, skinny, athletic, smart enough but God would say “woah, you are made in my perfect image so how could you be any less that perfect”.
11. My purpose is to make a difference
Over the past year I have questioned my purpose a ton. Then I read Purpose Driven Life and it changed everything for me. God put you specifically on this earth for a purpose, your challenge is just to find what it is and make it happen.
12. Prayer is powerful
“But God doesn’t ever answer my prayers when I want and need Him too”. Ha, well that’s the point. God’s job isn’t to attune to our wants and desires, it is to fulfill His initial path for you which is far greater than we can ever imagine. Talking to God can be the best way to accept this and come to terms with it.
13. Bad things happen so better things can happen
This goes back to my point that everything happens for a reason. God puts us through temporary times of suffering to allow greater joy to come.
14. I’m never truly alone, even when I feel lonely
The beautiful part about living a life with Christ, is even at the lowest and loneliest of times, God’s got you and is willing to listen and provide for you.
15. I have the potential to grow everyday
Everyday you are given the gift of living one more day, is the opportunity to grow and better yourself. The way I have come to try this is to read my bible or a book every day and chances are I will learn something every time.
16. Family is life’s greatest gift
Family is the one thing we don’t get to choose but in that comes so much grace and so much love. I promise you embrace your family for all that they are, you will realize how much God has blessed you with.
17. Laughter is the best medicine
In times of heartache, there is no greater joy than a good laugh with a good friend or a family member. God never fails to remind me of this even in my darkest moments.
18. Busy isn’t always best
“How are you?” “Busy” has become a common exchange in our society, however I struggle to believe that that was what God intended for us. He created us to do good works but not at the expense of missing out on the beauty of the life He has given us.
19. Time spent with God is important
This was something I truly struggled with for the first 19 years of my life. Making time for God was “just too hard”. It meant waking up too early or going to bed too late. Oh, but going on Instagram for an hour was just fine. What?! I promise you that just spending 15-20 minutes with God each morning has the ability to completely transform your day and your life.
20. A life live with God is fulfilling, sustaining and a whole lot more meaningful
I think this statement speaks for itself. Giving my life to Christ was the best decision I ever made and has made my life so much more worth living. It has given me drive, purpose and immeasurable joy.
By Anna Parker for TheOdyssey