Defining Moments

When I was in high school, I worked part time at a small retail store. At the beginning of each year we had to take inventory. None of the employees looked forward to putting in the extra hours to look back at the previous year. It was hard work. Today, let’s do some difficult work. Let’s take inventory and look at defining moments in our lives.

Defining moments may be experienced through times of fun and excitement, as well as times of suffering, great pain, and difficult loss. You look back and realize those moments define who you are today. Someone once said defining moments also refine us. It is when you are on the other side of the experience when you realize how your life has been redefined.

Don, a gifted architect, was diagnosed with a debilitating disease. Following the diagnosis, his personal life fell apart. Don’s response to these tough times was, “My life has been so blessed to handle these moments. God chose me to have this disease because I have seen the way He prepared me for the journey.” I wonder if our response would be one of such complete trust.

Looking back over my own life, I can think of no other moment more defining than when I was a little girl. When I was five years old I was sitting at a table in Vacation Bible School making a scrapbook about Jesus. As we began cutting out pictures and pasting them in the wallpaper book, I began to realize there was something very special about this man called Jesus. That activity really defined me and changed me forever. There were two more defining moments from that time in my life. The first was when my mother made the decision to go to church every week with her children. And the greatest defining moment and blessing came three years later when my entire family came to know Jesus and we were all baptized the same night. That is a moment that I will never forget.

Before there was ever a breath of life in us, God knew the path we would walk and the defining moments we would encounter. He created us to walk through those times and significant events. He placed building blocks along the way to fortify our faith and trust in Him. Today, take time to reflect on those moments. It could possibly dredge up some difficult memories, but it could also be a time of thankfulness for what the Lord has done. We all need to look back, take inventory, and realize God prepared us for the journey!

Heavenly Father, I pray I will never miss the opportunity to encourage someone. May I not become so self-absorbed that I miss the needs of others. Thank You, Lord, for being the encourager to me today, and may I give back out of that blessing. Amen.