FREE Download - Jan Johnson

I can find an authentic relationship with God? What is it that God has put within my heart to do?
It's time to rethink past assumptions and seek truth.
As we do so, we stumble upon those core questions, What must I do to feel loved? What
must I do to feel valued? The answers to these questions are found within a relationship with
God, but we each have to work out that relationship in such a way that the answers to those
questions are real to us. That can happen as a crisis or as long years of slow disgust brings us to
that prime moment of examining the patterns in our behavior and the motives driving them. We
then bring this information about ourselves before God and cultivate the relationship at a deeper
level. The crisis or nagging itch that looks like a detour to success becomes a path to developing
a more honest faith and life.
We tend to put off the journey because it isn't easy, but it's freeing. It is easier, however,
than putting forth more years of effort to ignore problems and pretend we're fine. We begin by
investigating the roots of our confusion and we see that this is not a new problem. It's as old as
Adam and Eve.
YOU MAY BE WONDERING . . .
Q ALL THIS SELF-EXAMINATION SOUNDS SO OVERWHELMING. SHOULD I WAIT?
A Take it at your own pace. Don't isolate. Talk to others. Seek professional help, if necessary.
Pray about this and ask God to show you what you need to know.
Q WHAT IF I'M IN ONE OF THOSE TRANSITIONS AND I'M READY TO GIVE UP MY
OCCUPATION OR MY MARRIAGE?
A If you're confused and emotionally charged, make as few changes as possible. Take the time
for personal examination and then you'll know more about who you are, your choices, and God's
will for your life.
Q I HAVE GROWN UP IN A CHRISTIAN FAMILY, BUT I'M QUESTIONING WHAT I'VE
BEEN TAUGHT ABOUT BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS.
A This can happen at any age, but it occurs most often in the early twenties. This healthy
separation from parents is part of normal development. It causes stress, however, because we
may have thought we'd be like our parents. Working through this predicament involves letting
God help us figure out what we believe and don't believe, and who we need to become apart
from our parents. Many times, we come around to embracing the positive values of our parents,
but changing behaviors that didn't work well for us. fun
Q WHAT IF I'VE BEGUN TO THINK ABOUT SUICIDE?
A If you have suicidal intentions or severe suicidal feelings, seek professional help immediately.
Call a suicide hot line and find out about local counseling centers or outpatient county facilities.
Stay in touch with people. Talk with someone you trust. Carry a telephone number for a suicide
hotline with you.