I have been living with ALS for over four years. I have written many times about trusting God’s plan for our lives. God doesn’t just have a plan; he wants us to have a fulfilling and full life. We are carriers of his image.
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27 (NLT)
We are created by the great Creator, in his image. We are not here by accident, so we should live with purpose.
The brevity and fragility of life
This world is broken. Jesus has given us hope and a path back to our Creator. I do not have ALS because of God’s love, but because of this broken world. What I do have is hope and purpose because of the love of Jesus.
Why me? Why did I get ALS? What do I do now?
We all have a short time on earth. We choose how to spend it. I started working through an advent devotional this holiday season. It was using Hebrews 1:1-12 to call out that God has his own timetable. In this case, it was about Jesus’ birth. The application was to remember that God works with his timetable not ours. When I look back on my life, I see evidence of that. Now I need to trust his timetable for the future.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. – Galatians 4:4 (NLT)
Living with a purpose
When we accept that we are created in the image of God, we are living a short life in a fallen world, but we have hope in Jesus, what’s next?
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. – Psalm 90:12 (NLT)
Thankfully, God has this covered too. No matter who you are, you are the image of your Creator. He has gifted you with skills and talent that are unique to you, shaped and nurtured by your life experience.
My life as an example
I am going to use my life as an example. This is the experience of my life.
My life is an example to many, because God has been my strength and protection. – Psalm 71:7 (NLT)
I was raised in a Christian home and from an early age I wanted to be a missionary and preacher. I preached my first sermon at age eleven. I even competed in a national preaching competition in high school. As a youth, I had no issues speaking in front of crowds.
I refined those skills in college. I served as an assistant pastor for two years in a small church and taught US English in the Czech Republic. While in the Czech Republic, my wife introduced me to Microsoft Access. I fell in love with writing code and working with data.
My career in technology was launched. I landed a job as a consultant with Magenic, a Microsoft partner in the late 90’s. While there I was introduced to speaking on technology. I have since spoken at user groups, webinars, regional conferences, and national conferences. I have presented on technology a lot over the past 20+ years. I continued speaking and recording content while I had a mask with my ventilator.
Fifteen years ago, I started the Data on Wheels blog. I wanted to write so I wouldn’t forget. I really didn’t know if anyone would read it. We have over half a million viewers and counting.
What’s the point? God has given me the gifts of speaking, writing, and technology. Today I speak through my writing. I use technology to share what I have learned. I continue to let the image of God shine through in new ways due to my disease. I use my skills differently, I live with purpose, on purpose.
Live life with purpose and hope
To be clear, you are not me. You are you. Are you living with purpose, using your gifts, regardless of your life circumstances? Don’t give up on God or yourself. You are created in the image of God. You can choose to embrace hope and purpose. I hope my story encourages you.
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 4:10-11 (NLT)
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and stories.
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