You walk through life each and every day doing just about the same thing. You have a schedule of rising in the morning, working, taking time for family and friends, and eating. It happens over and over again. Does your schedule make you who you are, or do you determine who you are? Do you find fulfillment from your job, or contentment in who God created you to be?

Our lives are busy.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and forget who we are. If we are not careful, we will allow the everyday moments to become “emergencies” that must be completed at once and we will forget to address the important tasks of our lives. I saw this many times as a stay-at-home mom of three little kids. I woke up everyday to the same type of schedule. What began to happen, when I wasn’t careful, though, is I would rush through the day hoping for a day when things would slow down. I would think about all the things around the house I wanted to do and always felt behind. In the moments of those days, I would forget who I really was…I was a mom, a mother to three children, and I in effect wasn’t doing my job with my heart. I was simply going through the motions.

At these times, I would ask myself questions like, “How did I get to this place in my life? Is this really what I want from my life? Who am I? I don’t even know what I really want out of life anymore?” These were hard questions, sometimes defeating, but mostly they inspired me to change.

I think the things that excite us are things God put in us when He created us. He did this for a purpose. Some days we see clearly what the purpose is, and other days we don’t. Howard Thurman so eloquently said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

The questions we have to ask ourselves are, “What gets me excited? What makes me feel alive?”

For me, it was taking my kids to the zoo and enjoying our adventures. I taught them about God’s creation and we would watch the monkeys, giraffes, and turtles for hours. Basically, I was being present for my kids and that fulfilled me as a mom. It was amazing how much work I accomplished when we returned home from the zoo because all things seemed to fall in place when I was “alive” as a mom.

Through the years, I’ve asked the hard questions of “Who and what am I”. They’ve still defeated me on some days and still inspired me to change.

I must continue to ask what excites me. What has God put in me when He created me? When I answer that question, I will know “who and what I am”. Then, I can move forward to come alive!

What excites you? What is standing in your way to contentment?

© 2014 Susan M. Sims

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