By Osama Almasri
My biggest regret would be not becoming whom I am created to be. However, how does one come to know their purpose in a world where we have forgotten The Creator? Purpose is birthed within. According to His Will, we have the authority to become. This authority is given to us within the center of our wholeness, which I believe is The Holy Spirit. I never knew what to call this until someone put it in terms that made so much sense to me; The Kingdom within our body is The Holy Spirit which is Jesus and God, and He makes our path clear. The Anchor ties us down to truth, love, hope, peace, and wholeness. I know this is true because I was going through the motions for far too long, where days felt the same, and I was trying to find my way through weak and worthless elementary principles of this world where I was a slave because I was trying to be my own god. Once I came to know God, or instead, He came to know me, did I find wholeness. He taught me to surrender and become a friend. My hardest of heart was persuaded, and the stranger I was became acquainted with The Voice that spoke one word, and these dead bones came alive! He made me complete with every part of Him. The Maker of the stars healed my scars, broke through the darkness, and shined brighter than my sin, where I had no qualities to find favor, yet He made me more remarkable because His grace is even more incredible! (All Glory to Him) The wholeness I have found gave me purpose, for man was only made for this. In my mind, I am still an addict, my flesh is not perfect, yet perfection is within me, and He makes me new every day because it is only the Spirit that teaches me how to stay away from the darkness and find peace. The Spirit is what keeps me from going back because who can stand against Him? I had to learn to humble myself with God, do justice, and love kindness, for this is all that He requires.
Everyone has something to say, something to bring to the table, and it is at this table that Jesus invites us to eat and share a meal with Him. Nevertheless, as I sat at that table, I wanted to hear the stories of others and see how I could become more like them. While it is a great thing to be on a path next to others and learn from them, I have found that each person is unique, and what they go through may sound similar to my story, but we are all on different paths. What works for one may not be the same for the next. We all have a path set out differently for each of us. No two people are exactly alike, and no story is the same. We are here together looking to hear from God, but what someone else does may not be the same path God has in store for me. I can hear them out and listen to their story, but I should remember that all I need is to be more like Jesus. I lost my way, and now I am learning to listen to God's voice. Today I am rebuilding on the truth's that are being spoken as promises to become my story; God will sustain me, God's peace will guard my heart, God delights in my songs, God will instruct and teach me to go in the way I should go, God is my refuge and strength and my help in times of need, in all things I am more than a conqueror because God loves me! He will never leave me nor forsake me, it is in His perfect love that casts out all my fears and that nothing can ever separate me from His Love. Most of all, God is not done with me. As I become one with Him, I will in turn become one with others and learn to broaden His Kingdom and not my own. Listening to God will bring me to find wholeness and be at peace with all that is His purpose for me to be.