Digging Deeper: Remember Your Why
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
REMEMBER YOUR WHY
“But what does hope mean?” I practically begged my mentor and spiritual mother of nearly 40 years.
After decades of following Jesus, the layered grief of losing my mother-in-law and my mother within eight months of each other had left my head in a million places, uncertain of everything I thought I knew. Everyone kept talking about the “hope of heaven,” and I believed our mothers were there—in the very real place of heaven, in the presence of Jesus. But this hope wasn’t easing the pain I was left with.
In her kind, gentle, but confident voice, Susan replied, “Sarah, this is when you fall back on what you know.”
So, friend, let’s do just that. When life feels completely upside down, overwhelming, and absolutely nothing like you imagined, go back to the beginning. Trust the process.
- Who made you? Genesis 2 tells us it was God who made us.
- What else did God make? Genesis 1 tells us God made all things.
- Why did God make you and all things? Isaiah 43:7 reminds us that we were made for His glory.
We were made by an intentional, loving God who sees the beginning from the end. Nothing surprises Him—not the loss, the diagnosis, the broken relationships, the financial hardships, the distant marriage, the infertility, raising teens, or the loneliness. He is aware of it all.
When we remind ourselves that we were created by an all-knowing God, who made us to glorify Him in whatever He ordains, we remove ourselves from the center of the story. This life is not about us! It’s not about our wants and desires, or even our “rights.” It’s certainly not about our happiness or what’s fair. It’s about Jesus and His glory. Glorifying God is our one great calling.
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!” – Psalm 84:11
The good thing He does not withhold is Himself. Pause and sit with that for a moment. Living for His glory begins with sitting—the secret to the true Christian experience. You see, before we can live for His glory, we must prioritize being still (Psalm 46:10), begging like Moses (Exodus 33) to see His glory in the very place we doubt it might be.
Sarah Jefferson is married to Curtis and the mother to Grey, Sanders, and Collins. She is a rare Atlanta native, currently living in Acworth. Sarah began her career in public relations in the sports industry. Now, she is a high school English teacher Mt. Paran Christian School. When she’s not teaching, you can find her running or hiking the beautiful trails of north Georgia and spending time with her busy family.