Truly, it has been much too long since I posted an entry in this blog. So much has happened in my life during the absence of my entries. So much in fact, that I am not sure where to begin my writing. They say it is always best to begin right where you are, so I will start right here and right now.
Today is Sunday, March 07, 2010 and I am writing this entry from my bedroom here in Doha, Qatar. Yes, you heard me right, Doha, Qatar. I am currently living and working abroad as a civilian contractor with the US Military. In fact, life took a drastic change for me in October 2008 when I landed my first contracting gig with the contracting giant KBR. I spent eight months working in Iraq on the Tallil airbase as an Administrative Specialist and enjoyed every bit of the assignment. It was the most enlightening, educational and inspiring time of my life ever.
A lot has happened since my first tour abroad and I have many stories to tell about my adventures but for now, I wish to focus on my 40-day journey of discovering my life's purpose. I have been stationed here on the Al Udeid Air Base since January 28, 2010 and I have yet to get myself into the groove of enjoying this assignment. A lot of my present discontentment is with my employer and the negatives experienced thus far. However, life is what you make of it, so I am pushing myself to look past all the negatives around me, find my purpose and enjoy my life abroad in spite of the roadblocks encountered along the journey.
As I awakened this morning, I smiled softly at God's awesome love and care for me as His child. I lay in my bed, silently thanking Him for the blessing of another day, and being enclosed in my right mind with my health and strength. I arose, put on my gospel music to help set the mood for the day and began my daily bible reading / devotional study. As my spirit cried out to God in prayer for the protection, safety and continued blessings for family, friends, and myself, I felt an urging deep within myself to get up and begin to make small changes in my life that would benefit me.
The first urging for change that I felt within my spirit this morning was to begin an exercise plan and concentrate on improving my health by walking 30 minutes per day. So before I could give myself time to talk myself out of why I didn't want to begin this task, I set about getting dressed in my workout gear and I headed to the gym for a 30 minute cardio workout. Within my spirit, I know that it's God calling me to a higher purpose for even the smallest of things in my life. I completed the workout and felt encouraged at the fact that I managed to complete the 1.5-mile walk to improve my health.
After completing my daily exercise, I next felt the prompting of spirit leading me to the local library to find a good encouraging book that would help me focus on setting some goals for myself. To my surprise, my eyes landed on Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life". I'd read this particular book once before at the urging of a friend and found it to be spiritually uplifting, and I felt the spirit prompting me to re-read it again. So thus begins my blog topics for the next 40 days, "40 Days Towards Discovering My Purpose". I feel within my spirit God urging me to begin a re-definition of who I am by drawing closer to Him and understanding His reasoning for my life's journey.
I opened the book to Chapter 1 - "What on Earth Am I Here For?", and read with a sense of hunger and desire wanting to know God's purpose for my life at 48 years old. I am here in Doha, Qatar for a reason and I know that by approaching God with a humble heart and a sincere desire to hear His word for my life, He will reveal to me His plan for me and show me where I must be on this journey of life. My soul seemed to absorb like a sponge in water the scripture presented in this chapter-"A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree ... Proverbs 11:28 (Msg) ". How timely this word, because my soul has been craving and seeking to flourish like a tree in God's presence. Thank you God for directing my footsteps, even in the smallest of things, I am so very grateful to you Lord.
The reason I like this book is that it challenges me in my journey towards discovering my purpose by asking me to think about my purpose on a daily basis. Therefore, with that in mind, here is my response to thinking about my purpose for day one.
Point to Ponder: "It's not about me."-Lord help me to remember this in my daily interactions with others.
Verse to Remember: "Everything got started in God and finds its purpose inGod" .... Colossians 1:16-This includes my very life and He will reveal my purpose if I seek Him with all my heart
Question to Consider: "In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?"-No matter what material things life has to offer you, you cannot take it with you when it is time to meet God and no matter how much stuff you accumulate in life, it cannot console you when your soul cries out with a longing to be filled and comforted ... only God can meet the need.
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