Read: Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 3:13-14, Isaiah 43:18-19
The beautiful thing about “all things” is that it includes pretty much all things. The good things, the ordinary things, the not-so-good things, the truly (at the time) awful things. God has promised to use them all for good for those who love God and have responded to the call to live out their chazown for His purposes.
Your past often holds the key to unlock your future.
What might your past have prepared you to do that you couldn’t—or wouldn’t—do otherwise? Think about the positive experiences that have been formative in your life. Maybe a business success has given you the confidence to lead a nonprofit organization toward greater impact. Or maybe God healed you of cancer and now you can offer hope to others.
Think also about the negative experiences that have shaped how you think, feel, and act. You suffered a miscarriage and never thought you’d feel happy again. But because of God’s emotional healing, you now can comfort other couples whose dreams have died. Or your marriage fell apart, but because of what God has taught you, you now have the wisdom to help others in a relationship crisis.
Now, in preparation for the next stage of understanding and living out your chazown, explore these questions with me:
- What do your good and bad experiences have in common?
- What do you think your experiences have done within you to prepare you for the future? How are you inwardly different because of what you have enjoyed or endured?
- Now, regarding the next chapter of your life: What possible title comes to mind when you think about the path ahead of you?
We would like to thank Pastor Craig Groeschel and Life.Church for providing this plan.