New Year's Musings

I'm sure that New Year's is one of the favorite times of the year for the blogging community.  I'd bet that there is a significant increase in the number of people who blog during this time of year as well as the number of people who create their own blog.  It seems as though our desire for new beginnings crosses into the digital world as well.  There are probably a lot of people out there who have posted their "new year's resolutions" to their blogs and possibly are even resolving to blog more (or less depending on how often they use the site) in 2009.  

While it is not my intention to post a list of all the lofty goals that I plan to commit myself to, this post may turn out that way.  But I digress, let me just muse for a moment.  Each year presents a different set of challenges and events that shape who we are and what we become.  While you can anticipate major, pre-planned events like weddings, conferences, and vacations, it is almost impossible to plan for the day-to-day aspects of our lives.  I think that these day-to-day events are really what culminates in how we define ourselves as people.

Let me give an example: I serve alongside a few other fantastic individuals ministering to junior-high and high school students in Northview-West Lafayette's youth group.  On January 1, 2008, I had no idea that I was going to be involved at all (it probably helps that the youth group didn't exist at that time).  Fast forward a few months and I find myself being asked to help lead the group.  While I wasn't unwilling to help, I wasn't very enthusiastic about it either.  It was just a spur-of-the-moment, day-to-day decision to volunteer, which I didn't expect to mean much.  While I won't bore you with the details, as time went on I began to feel as though the youth group was a significant part of who I am.  It wasn't some big, pre-planned event that brought on that feeling, nor was it some life-changing revelation.  The fact of the matter is that day-to-day interactions that I had with the other leaders and the students we work with began to weave a small thread in my spiritual DNA.

I think that the phrase "spiritual DNA" is used much more casually that it deserves.  Think about what real DNA does.  It determines everything about us, what we look like, how our body functions, and it even influences how we think and feel.  But I think the most fascinating thing about DNA is that it is totally unique.  No one else on the planet has the same DNA as you do.  I think our spiritual DNA is very similar.  God programs our spiritual beings with certain gifts and has us experience things to help us uncover what those gifts are.  They are totally unique and they shape who we are as servants of Christ.  What I'm getting at is that these day-to-day interactions help us uncover the gifts and talents that God has equipped us with.  In other words, the things we often do spontaneously, regularly, or with little thought are pretty important.

This year, 2009, I'm planning on making the most of my day-to-day interactions.  I want to fully unearth my spiritually being and discover the life God plans for me to live.  And my challenge for anyone reading is to do the same as well.  Keep in mind the fact that God uses little events in our lives to develop us as spiritual beings.  Be willing to let these little events culminate in an important thread in our spiritual DNA.  Most of all, enjoy the path God sets you on.  Happy New Year everyone!