{"id":99,"date":"2024-07-07T06:16:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T11:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracefulawakening\/?p=99"},"modified":"2024-07-07T06:16:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T11:16:43","slug":"life-is-a-faith-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracefulawakening\/2024\/07\/life-is-a-faith-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Life is a Faith Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

"Life<\/p>\n

Your Faith Journey began before you were born.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jeremiah 1:5<\/span><\/a> \u201c Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.\u201d (USCCB.org)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n God created you with a plan. He anointed you. He dedicated you.\u00a0 He started your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Then, you were born.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n So many people have entered your life on that first day. Where is God?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n On your day of birth, God is often forgotten. Everyone around you is reveling in the miracle that is you, but they are forgetting how you truly came to be, through God.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Life Happens<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n***** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Depending on what faith you were raised in, there may be an infant baptism which marks the beginning of your Faith Journey. How it evolves, depends greatly on your environment and the people around you.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Your Faith Journey is influenced (but not necessarily determined) by those around you. That is how we learn and grow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** What truly makes a difference is how you embrace who God is and who God created you to be. Embrace the gifts and talents that God gave you. This includes your faith. People can teach you and influence you, but ultimately, it is you that decides the direction you take in your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ** *****\u00a0<\/p>\n There are many firsts.<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n******* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Depending on the Christian Denomination you were raised in, there can be many firsts in your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** There is Baptism, First Communion, First Confession, First Service to others and Confirmation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Many of these firsts come with sponsors or Godparents. These people are meant to guide you in your Faith Journey, although in today\u2019s society it seems these roles perform a more monetary role.<\/span><\/p>\n ** *******\u00a0<\/p>\n Growth in your Faith Journey<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n********* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** As we age, grow and develop, so do our beliefs. Along with growth comes change. You may start to question what you have been taught and what you have been shown (or the lack of what you have been taught or shown).\u00a0 You should.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** *********God created you to be you. He created you for His purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n "Avodah Avodah is spiritually centered.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Refer back to my friend Vic and his concept\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span> Avodah-Spiritual Ikigai<\/span><\/a> that I highlighted in my last column on <\/span>Patheos.com<\/span><\/a>, \u201c<\/span>Who did God Create You to be<\/span><\/a>?\u201d. It is clear that most of us have not found our Avodah and many are not even seeking it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As you reach this age of questioning, don\u2019t stop. This is key to your spiritual growth in your Faith Journey. Question. Seek answers. Educate yourself. Ask more questions.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As you learn, teach. Afterall, that is what we are called to do as stated in the Bible (usccb.org):<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGo, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.\u201d\u2019 <\/span>Matthew 28:19-20<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ebbs and Flows<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n*********** ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** It is normal for your Faith Journey to have ebbs and flows. Many times life influences our heart. Challenges or obstacles make us question who we are and what we have accomplished. Successes often bring gratitude.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** In reality, challenges or obstacles truly define who we are by how we react and often teach us more than successes do.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** ***********Ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n \nWhere is your faith during challenges?<\/span><\/li>\nHow do you show your faith during a success?<\/span><\/li>\nHow has your faith grown because of challenges?<\/span><\/li>\nHow has your faith grown because of successes?<\/span><\/li>\nHow are you sharing\/living your faith during challenges?<\/span><\/li>\n How are you sharing\/living your faith during successes?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n*********** ** ***********\u00a0<\/p>\n Faith Journey as an Adult<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n************* ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** As we age, we tend to be more open about our Faith Journey. We tend to search for answers as to who we are and what end of life will be. Dare I say that most people are on a journey to find comfort with what they have done instead of becoming who they were created to be.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** As an adult on your Faith Journey, continue to ask questions, educate yourself and experience faith. Make mistakes. You will and that is great because that is how you learn and grow.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Recruit others, better yet, invite others on your journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** "Surround<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u201cYou are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most.\u201d\u00a0 Jim Rohn.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** You want to ensure that people challenge you as you challenge others, but be careful that the people who are filling your head (and your heart) are on the same path. The devil is active and will do its best to interfere with your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** As an adult, it is much easier to be disciplined and carve out time in your busy schedule to work on your growth in your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** *************\u00a0I offer these tips to help you:<\/span><\/p>\n \nRead the Bible<\/span><\/li>\nPray<\/span><\/li>\nMeditate<\/span><\/li>\nForm a group for your journey<\/span><\/li>\nBe a support as you ask for support<\/span><\/li>\nLive your Faith<\/span><\/li>\n Share your journey<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n************* ** *************\u00a0<\/p>\n Divine Blueprint<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n*************** ** ***************\u00a0<\/p>\n The last tip is why I became a contributing author in <\/span>Divine Blueprint: Faith in God for Unbounded Success<\/span><\/a> .<\/span><\/p>\n "We*************** ** DIVINE BLUEPRINT: Faith in God for Unbounded Success<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ** It is much easier to see your journey and a path once you begin sharing it with others. I do that here, in the book, in my social media content and in who I am.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Sharing your journey also helps to bring people to you with like journeys and people who can learn from your Faith Journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** Likewise, search for people who are on their Faith Journey that you can learn from.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** We are in this together.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** God created each of us to bless one another.<\/span><\/p>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** How are you living your Faith Journey?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** ***************\u00a0 Your Faith Journey began before you were born.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jeremiah 1:5 \u201c Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.\u201d (USCCB.org) \u00a0 God created you with a plan. He anointed you. He dedicated you.\u00a0 He started […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5604,"featured_media":111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,9,12,15],"class_list":["post-99","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-faith","tag-heart","tag-journey","tag-life"],"yoast_head":"\nLife is a Faith Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  Your Faith Journey began before you were born.\u00a0   \u00a0 Jeremiah 1:5 \u201c Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracefulawakening\/2024\/07\/life-is-a-faith-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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