YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE
“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.” Psalm 139:13-14 MSG
When the chips are down or perhaps you feel as if you aren’t in the optimal place in your life, you might wonder what God was thinking when He made you... did God make a mistake?
Maybe you were abused as a child, or hurt in an accident. Maybe you were born into a family that subjected you to ridicule for not being “normal”. Whatever your unique circumstances may have been, please know that God does not make mistakes. He has a plan and a purpose for your life, just like this scripture states: “You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.”
I don’t believe that you have to settle for less than God’s best. I believe that there have been great men and women who have come from behind. It is the great underdog story! The orphan that grew to become a Philanthropist, the child polio victim that won gold in the Olympics, the King who overcame a speech impediment in time of war, the disabled men and women who come back to prove that mind is more important than matter! Everyone loves the story of the Comeback Kid or the Underdog who comes from behind! People want to hear from YOU!
What next?
- Seek God in prayer and meditation, listening closely to what He has to stay and enter into a peaceful receptive state.
- Next, ask yourself what it is that you can do. Can you write? Can you dictate to others? Can you draw, paint, or physically work with your hands?
- Start looking around online, asking friends, or researching via books/magazines in the areas that you are most interested. Are you a visual learner, do you like to read, or are you an audible listener? Gardening, designing, science, math, literature… etc.
- Begin gaining knowledge. Let’s say I LOVE basketball, but I am four feet nothing, and I don’t have game. But since basketball is my passion, I read all day and night about it. I watch all the games, and I know all the players. Someone might call me a “looser” because I know all of this information, when in reality this is an opportunity! As a self proclaimed “Freedom Counselor”, I would suggest to this basketball aficionado to keep reading! Keep studying! Do something like go back to school and study sports journalism or go online and start a sports blog, get a job at the local gym, begin to write as an analyst, coach your local team… there are so many options! Anytime that great knowledge is possessed and wisdom is displayed, someone will pay handsomely for that expertise! For example, top political strategists (the guys that help strategize in the campaigns), can earn salaries as high as $500,000 a year!
- SHARE! After you have begun to amass knowledge in your personal favorite area of study, begin to share! If it is singing, sing a song to others! If it is reading, start a book club or write about what you are learning! If it is golf, by all means begin to compete! The only thing stopping you is your own belief!
I hope that this article has encouraged you to go that extra step, to understand that God doesn’t make mistakes… but man can make a bunch of excuses! There is nothing but opportunity out there, if you begin gaining knowledge in the subjects that you love, and share with others what you have learned. God has a plan for you, not go get yourself on His track!
Jessica Heilman is the Founder of Wholehearted Ministries and is also mom to The Cookie Boys. Jessica has been a student of Psychology, Philosophy and Theology for nearly 25 years. Jessica founded WHM in 2008 while in Bible College. Jessica and her husband Jeff have been married 21 years. Jeff and Jessica live in the Silicon Valley with their seven children and their dog Kennedy. This article was originally published via Wholehearted Ministries 6/4/2012