The True Me, part 2: Becoming a Woman of the Word
May 29, 2019Last week I introduced a new approach to goal-setting: Start by focusing on who you are/want to be rather than what you want to accomplish. I encouraged you to brainstorm your own list of priorities, but I also shared mine with you. Here’s a quick recap in case you forgot:
Over the next few weeks, we will delve into each of those statements. Today, we focus on the first: “I am a child of God and woman of The Word.” As I wrote my mission statement, I didn’t simply pen the five big statements you see above. I jotted down a sentence or two (or three or four) explaining what this really means in my life. It is too easy to make broad statements that have little impact on our lives if they are not clearly defined.
It is no accident I listed this first. This is the most important part of who I am, the thing that is truest of me—or at least, the thing I desire to be truest of me. My first and foremost desire is to be seen for who I am in Christ. My goal is not for me to be seen, but to make Him more visible through my life. This is the lens through which everything else is to be seen. This identity, as it says above, permeates all aspects of my life.
My goal is not for me to be seen, but to make Christ more visible through my life.CLICK TO TWEET
Don’t get the impression that I have achieved this, that I wrote it down as a way of bragging or praising myself. In fact, the primary purpose of this mission statement is to kick my own butt when I need to. I can look at this and say, “Am I really acting like a child of God right now? Can I really call myself a woman of the Word if I haven’t opened my Bible in a week?” The mission statement reminds me of my priorities, whose glimmer can fade in the mundaneness of everyday life and choices.
So what does it mean to live as a child of God and woman of the Word? This is, of course, an intensely personal statement, so I want to handle it tenderly. I do not wish to dictate a list of rules, nor do I want to weigh you down with expectations that God has not called you to fulfill. I can tell you only how I have prayerfully defined this for myself.
As a woman of the Word, I…
…begin my day with God, reading His Word and praying.
…spend time memorizing His Word. (I am using a memorization plan set out by my church, but you could select a short book to memorize or search for memorization in the reading plans on YouVersion.)
…seek God through prayer before making any commitments with my time, money, or energy.
…pray daily for my husband and children.
…point my children daily to God, encouraging them to read the Bible and apply it in their everyday lives.
…invest in opportunities to know Him better, and prioritize my time with Him (both in private and public settings) over other options. (In other words, I will not put off my personal study time out of laziness, miss church for sporting events, etc.)
I cannot tell you, as I have said before, what your priorities are. Only you can set your mission statement. But regardless of what else you want to accomplish or who you want to be, can I encourage you to consider making this your number one? Your definition doesn’t have to look like mine. For years, getting up before my children was unrealistic. Encouraging my children to read the Bible–or reading it as a family–was sporadic at best. The idea is not to follow a list of rules, but to actively seek God first. We all know that life is messy and that following God doesn’t promise an easy, orderly existence. But if you are seeking Him above all else, you are not alone in anything you seek to accomplish or become.
I’m loving walking through this series with you! Join me again next week as we talk about being encouragers.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
