Did you ever think of this? The patterns of your life or the way you were brought up actually were exposed when you experienced a life defining moment.
When I look at my life and how I was brought up. For example: my Father was a man of integrity and he taught us that honesty was more than just the best policy. He went to an extreme when it came to integrity and honesty, even in justice. Today I am like that too. It makes me very angry when anyone does anything to jeopardize the integrity of our organization or what we do. In fact as a Christian it is far more important to be careful in our dealings when it comes to integrity and honesty.
What are some of the patterns of your life?
Whether we realize it or not at some point in a life defining moment you will expose the patterns in which you were brought up.
If you were rejected along life’s course, then my opinion is that you will find that you would want to always be in the forefront, sit on a stage and get the limelight. You may not show it but even secretly you will wish for that.
Handling money if you were dishonest with your dealings then in later years you will find that you cannot be trusted to be honest with your finances.
Look at some of the Biblical characters and their life defining moments and how God had to deal with them.
Joseph, it was the robe of favour that went to his head, God had to deal with him in order to teach him humility through a road of suffering. Eventually it was from a pit to the palace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the burning furnace exposed their commitment to God.
Paul, it was being blinded and spoken to by Jesus on the Damascus road that exposed him to his own spiritual blindness and years of religiousness.
Daniel, was delivered from the lions’ den because he set his face like flint to follow God to not defile himself with ungodly things.
Joshua, crossing into the Promised Land was a reality because he faithfully served Moses and followed God.
Moses, had to unlearn some of the patterns of life he had picked up in his Egyptian upbringing. This took 40 years. 40 years in the Palace, 40 years to undo wrong patterns of life, and another 40 years fulfilling his call. Sometimes we can reduce the years of waiting by training ourselves to submit to God’s ways rather than our ways. Moses was face with many life defining moments when he was an Egyptian prince. One such time exposed the patterns of his life which eventually drove him to self exile. Don’t allow the patterns of life to be exposed in your life defining moments.
There have been many life defining moments in our lives that changed us forever. These life defining moments most often set the course for our future. We can either recognize the patterns of our lives that have the potential to destroy us or make us into the men and women of integrity that God intended us to be.
Look at your own situation, where are you?
Are you facing a life defining moment? If you are look at how you are responding to this. If you are doing the right thing and God is pleased with the way you have handled it then you’re on the right track obviously. If you are in a mess because of the life defining moment go back to the patterns of life that have exposed your sin or your mess and ask God to heal your soul and correct the wrong ways.
The Lord allows us these life defining moments, so the patterns of our lives are exposed, so we can correct our ways and learn to walk a path of integrity and honesty bringing glory and honour to His name.
