Many have been so burned by their past hurts and tragedies that they don’t believe God could possibly mean it. “What could an all-powerful God want with me?” In many ways, it seems far too good to be true.
That’s the way I used to feel…unworthy. Although everything looked good from the outside, I was always beating myself up, feeling anything but worthy. Then, having endured significant tragedy, I had a conversion experience which changed my life. It’s detailed in my book, Overwhelming Pursuit: Stop Chasing Your Life and Live.
The fact is that God invites all of us to turn to Him, to bring our hurts, fears, past experiences, our everything to him in truth. This is what we mean when we talk about “conversion.” It means coming to know God in a personal way.
Unique For Each of Us
There are many ways God uses to lead us to a place of conversion, including tragedy (as in my case), dramatic transitions, or intentional seeking. It could be someone God puts in your life, i.e. teacher, mentor, friend, or a religious event, a great talk, or a good book.
Conversion is an intimate and unique process for each of us, so one size doesn’t fit all. For each of us, it begins at the moment when we become aware of God’s mercy, his forgiveness, and his unconditional love.
Recommended Steps
The good news is that wanting conversion is the first step and seeking it will make it happen. While the process is different for everyone, I have learned there are certain steps all of us can take:
- Pray for your conversion on a regular basis. God wants to give it more than you want to receive it.
- Remind yourself often of the unconditional love of God for you.
- Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to lead you to conversion.
- If you are Catholic, participate in the sacraments, especially Confession, Mass, and praying in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
- Engage with a spiritual mentor, such as a priest, pastor, religious sister, or deacon.
- Find a friend who is on the journey, who is willing to coach you and share with you.
- Read Scripture and do other spiritual reading.
- Participate in a vibrant Christian community.
- Attend religious events and retreats.
We All Want to be Fulfilled
We all want to live fulfilled lives. What I learned is that we can’t be truly fulfilled without internalizing the unconditional love and forgiveness of God. When we do, it sets us free. You can be you, not worrying what anyone else thinks, because it is God alone who you truly need, who truly matters. You can stop feeling overwhelmed by the constant need to prove yourself, to make yourself worthy of love.
In my case, I finally had a clear sense of my identity. My “who” was no longer my “do”. I was no longer worried about impressing others, including family and friends. I could now love myself in a healthy way, not worrying about others’ acceptance of me. I could stop running after success, wealth, and all the other things that had never satisfied me.
You Are God’s Gift to this World
I pray that you understand the same reality. You are God’s gift to this world, designed uniquely for a specific purpose. There is no other person like you, and God doesn’t make mistakes. You are part of God’s grand plan, and anything that may have happened to you in the past was just to prepare you for what He has planned for you going forward. In understanding and internalizing God’s unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness, the unimaginable is achievable.
Please comment to me at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.
May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!
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The Real Impact of Surrender
I think that’s it’s important to make a distinction between joy, happiness, and pleasure (referencing Dicitionary.com):
Remember….God loves you more than you’ll ever know, no matter what you’ve ever done.
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