The Most Important Question to Answer on Your Healing Journey - and Why

The three most important days of your life:

1. The day you were born.

2. The day you were born-again.

3. The day you discover why.

Jesus asked this most critical question of his disciples in Mark chapter 8, verses 27-29.

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” (Emphasis added)

Who we believe Jesus the Christ to be is the most important answer in life. That answer determines the path toward healing and freedom and the discoverability of the purpose of our lives. No other question you will ever answer has the impact of this question.

My Story and My Answer

I was around the age of 12 when I stumbled upon a pornographic magazine in our home. That moment changed the course of my life forever. In a moment, how I viewed life, women, self, and others began a dangerous and twisted path that nearly led to me taking my own life at age 42.

Pornography became my drug and medication of choice for physical and primarily emotional pain. I experienced bullying in various forms as a child and adult from various sources. Many without intention, but certainly some people quite willingly inflicted emotional and physical wounds on my young self.

I married the most grace filled woman at age 24. Nearly 38 years later I’m married with the same stunning woman. We are parents to 3 adult daughters, a grandson and son-in-law that we don’t deserve, but thank God for daily!

But there was a time I feared I was going to lose them along with a hopeful future. That began when Julie (my wife) discovered a nearly two-year-long online relationship with another woman.

That was in late 2003 and it was during this time period thoughts of ending my life became a planned way out. But God in His mercy stopped me in my (car’s) tracks on a Friday evening.

But God

I’d realized I needed help when my depression was so severe I literally could not make myself eat. I was losing weight at frightening speed.

In March of 2004 I was part of a stage crew at a Christian event in our small town. I met new friends and began making changes I knew I needed to make.

The path was being paved for me to confront my belief about the person of Jesus. Following the event, a concert, I knew something was different within me. I could not readily identify it until the next morning. As I sat on the couch listening over and over to two songs from the album relating to the night before, my heart broke. Snapped like a twig.

That morning the answer became clearer than even before. Jesus was and is my Savior! I didn’t simply invite Jesus into my heart and life, I quite literally begged him to come in and take over.

He did and continues to do the good work today that He began in March of 2004. I once was blind and by God’s grace now I see.

The call on my life (and yours?) is revealed

It’s actually clearly and simply revealed what God’s call is on every Christ-follower’s life. Jesus himself spoke it in Matthew 28:18-20.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Emphasis added)

Life’s call revealed and a promise given; Go make disciples and the promise from Jesus to always be with me on this mission and our given purpose. The call for all of us is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. For those who are followers of Jesus we know this and believe it to be truth.

I have found meaning, purpose and how to live out that mission in relationship with Jesus. So can you.

God will not force himself on us. It’s by grace through faith we find salvation in Jesus the Christ. It cannot be earned. None of us is good enough to do that. It’s why Jesus went to the cross. To pay a price you and I cannot. A price we owe but are woefully incapable of paying.

A Good Work Prepared – Your Unique Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Before our birth, God ordained and created for each of us good works to do. As we pursue our relationship with Jesus, God will reveal those works to us. It takes intentional effort and persistence to discover and clarify that purpose, that good work.

The journey to discover or re-discover your God given purpose that has been uniquely prepared for you awaits. Through a process that challenges you to interpret your life in a way you likely never have, your purpose is discoverable.

What Gets in the Way?

The list of what distracts us from fully engaging the healing journey and discovering our purpose or even catching a glimpse of it is lengthy. Here are a few of the more common sources of distraction. (Certainly not exhaustive)

• Our job

• Illness

• Pride

• Addictions

• Shame and it’s lies

• Other’s expectations of us

• Relationships (good and not so good)

• Faulty belief systems

• Emotional wounds

Maybe you can identify your healing and purpose killer in this list, or maybe not. The important truth is that you do have a real God given purpose for your life. A purpose that only you can truly accomplish. This purpose will bring you fulfillment and more importantly help others as the primary by-product.

Unhealed wounds will and do get in the way of experiencing God’s life to the full he intends and the purpose He planned in that fullness for us to “walk in”.

Our purpose is not primarily for us, but it can and will fulfill us in so many ways. And right now, I invite you into the journey.

This is the good work God has called me to. It’s an honor to serve Him, by serving you. I’d love to hear from you. If you have an interest in finding out more about how the healing and purpose discovery process works, please reach out and let’s have a short visit.

I’m still a student of this journey and suspect I will be until the day Christ returns or calls me home.

Courageously forward my friends.