finding joy in the unseen

By Debbie Ramamoorthy (WITHIN Devotional Contributor)
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It’s a new year, and we are almost approaching a new month. My personality thrives with “new.” I love how fresh it feels, how hopeful I feel and how it presents me with a clean slate. It also gives me a new opportunity to reflect and see where I am with becoming the person God created me to be. What I mean by this is based on the verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. ... We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
 
I believe God created us in these wildly creative and unique ways- every single one of us. And along with that, He gave each of us a one-of-a-kind story to live out. Not simply live out- but live out for His glory.
 
Growing up, I moved around a lot. I moved every 2-3 years, from country to country. Culture to culture. Language to language-never going back to the country we once lived in- a place I called “home.” We also did not do consistent sabbaticals of any sort. A place to return to did not exist. Was this type of lifestyle relatable? No, not really. Is it now? No, not really.
 
I often find myself quite disconnected from others, whether it comes to identity, connection, who I am, or what I was made for. However, in all of that disconnect, I have grown to find my true connection and identity in Christ-in who I was made by. This journey has not been a seamless or easy one. But the reality is, I find that this journey is something Christ desires each of us to take with Him. I was forced into looking to Him and seeking an understanding of a life with Him and for Him. 
 
The flip side of seeking to live a life with Him and for Him is something I fell into the trap of through so many of my formative years- the trap of surrendering to the comforts of this world, a life more conventional. But I’d inevitably end up hitting a wall. I would constantly find myself missing the point of who the Lord has called me to be.
 
Galatians 2:20 reminds us of this in a powerful way when Paul reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” We don’t live for this world. We live for the One who gave us life! 
 
Sisters, my encouragement to you is to seek the Lord through His Word and ask Him to show you who He created you to be. Don’t fall in the trap of who you feel you are expected to be. And run in your true identity with your whole heart because the Lord only has the best in store for each of us! A life of surrender is the most content, joy-filled life! A life that we get to live with our Lord!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Galatians 2:20
James 4:10
Jeremiah 10:23
Matthew 11:28

Questions to Reflect on:

1. What is an area of your life you feel the Lord is trying to refine? What is preventing that refinement from happening?
2. What is one attribute you feel like the Lord is drawing out in you?
3. What is one goal or desire you feel the Lord has placed on your heart? How do you feel like you are surrendering it to God?