One Sunday morning, the first Sunday in January to be exact, my associate pastor delivered a New Year’s challenge to the congregation. He spoke of the uniqueness of each individual and the role each person plays in God’s overall plan. “God has a plan for your life,” he stressed. Drawing it out further, he posed a pointed question, “What can you do for God that no one else can do?” Pausing for individuals to think gave me time to begin introspection………

 

In my heart, I cried out, “What is my divine purpose? Why did God give me life on planet Earth?” That “aha” moment did come later, and I felt called to honor my Triune God by telling others what He has done for me. Throughout my life, I have had many experiences—some great and some I choose not to recall. I know physical, social, emotional, and mental pain. I also know comfort. I know both successes and failures from my childhood to this day. I know poverty, and I know plenty. In my early years, I did not have the skills to analyze these experiences, but one of the joys of maturing has been an opportunity to look back and view common threads that weave a definite pattern called my life. There, I see the presence of God from the beginning. Now I can tell readers, like you, about instances in my life where I know that God was

there…