If you are on Facebook, you've probably already been invited to write your own "All About Me" list. It seems sort of self-indulgent, doesn't it?
But I think there is something positive that can come out of studying the events of one's life as well as the quirkiness that make each of us unique. God speaks to us through life events. He whispers to us about our calling (daily opportunities and serious lifetime work) through our gifts, fears, experiences, acquaintances and family and friends.
Last night at Ash Wednesday Mass, Father told us to wake up every morning and tell God one thing: Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
Sometimes, this is the precise moment that God will make us students of our own lives. Why? Because He has already "talked" to us through our life events and the gifts He deposited in us. Now that we have come to the place where we are servants who are ready to listen, He simply lays our life before us and says, "Look there."
He is the Master Teacher; we are the student. And we begin to study our own lives with His direction. Now, begin your "All About Me" list:
1. What are your greatest fears? How might they be obstacles that keep you from seeing (or doing) God's will? How might those fears be a provision by God to keep you safe from real harm?
2. What life events turned everything upside down in your life or sent you off in a new direction? (don't forget to think about what you learned or how you changed) How might these events have been the Hand of God in your life?
3. What was the first thing you knew you could excel at? What other talents showed up later? Is there any way these gifts might be meant to work in tandem for God? What kinds of things bring you the most "pure" joy? Art, music, academics, sports, being close to creation, animals, literature, children, politics, the elderly, technology) How might God use this as a venue to reach you? How might God use this as a venue for you to reach Him?
4. What are your weaknesses? Are there situations or people that bring those shortcomings to the surface? Use those moments as an opportunity for God to tell you what He wants to change in you. Consider those "enemies" a tool for sanctification. Consider that God may have brought them along in your life for the sole purpose of getting you to heaven (and not to make you miserable).
5. Who is your go-to authority figure? Whose advice do you most value? If this person were standing next to Jesus Christ, would there be any resemblance? If not, who in your life would be a closer match?
Ponder your answers. Sit quietly and let God speak to you. And remember to wake up every morning and say, Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
Facebook and "All About Me" - an exercise in discernment
