Read an Excerpt
Finding Joy in All You Are
You and God, You and Others, You and Your Kids
Zondervan
Copyright © 2003 Jean Syswerda
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-310-24712-8
Chapter One
session 1 you are ... you
For You Alone
Let's start this session with some contemplation. Turn your mind inward as you think about who you are as an individual. Here's a little acrostic to help you get started:
I A M M E
Under each letter write at least one word that describes who you are. For example, one of the "Ms" would likely be mom. "E" could be enthusiastic or entertaining or expert. For "I," think of words like introspective and insecure and intense. Don't let the acrostic confine you. You don't necessarily have to add only words that fit neatly into it.
Now turn your sights away from yourself and the acrostic and look to God. Who are you in him? What sort of relationship do you have with him? How does this relationship affect who you are?
Being a mother can quickly eclipse all the other great things you are as a person. Without attention to your other parts and pieces, the task of sorting out who you are other than mother can become more and more difficult. The most important person you are is in your status as a believer. This first study will help you review and recall that significant part of you as a person.
For You and God's Word
Begin your study today by reading 2 Corinthians 5:17. As you read this verse, take every word personally. Read it as though Paul is writing to you personally about your relationship with God, about who you now are as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Threfore, if anyone is in Christ, [she] is a new creations; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
"If I belong to Christ and believe in him, I am a new person; the old me is gone, the new me has come!" That's a paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Here are a few questions to get you thinking about what this verse means for you personally:
1. What does it mean to you to be "in Christ" in a spiritual sense?
2. What practical implications, if any, does being "in Christ" have?
3. How does or, perhaps more realistically, should being "in Christ" affect your day-to-day life?
4. What is your most common response when the "old you" rears its (sometimes) ugly head? If you understood all the richness of this verse, what sort of response would you be encouraged to make?
5. Only in and through Christ can you ever become all God created you to be. Who are you as a person in Christ-as a "new creation"? Complete at least four "I am" statements below to help you see yourself in a more holistic way. Here are a few ideas to help you get going:
I am creative.
I am passionate.
I am a good listener.
I am _______________________________ .
I am _______________________________ .
I am _______________________________ .
I am _______________________________ .
For You and Others
As a small group, you gather to examine Scripture and who you are as a person in light of Scripture. Today's passages will give you insight, guiding your thoughts and your talk and helping you recognize what you once were and now are in Christ.
If you are in Christ, you are a new creations; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (paraphrased)
Recite this verse together as a group, then discuss the following questions:
1. Share with each other what being "in Christ" means to you personally.
2. Share what you discovered spiritually and practically about this phrase in "For You and God's Word."
Now turn to Ephesians 2:13, which speaks of being "near" and "far away" because of your position "in Christ."
3. Near what? Far away from what?
4. How do you go from being far away to being near?
5. What does being near mean when you are doing the everyday things of life? How does it affect your life when you're preparing meals? Driving children around? Cleaning your home? Getting home from work yourself or welcoming your husband home?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Finding Joy in All You Are Copyright © 2003 by Jean Syswerda. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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