Born With Purpose and An Identity

in ‘Born To Do Great Things’ Jess Mannion explores questions like “who am I?” and “what is my purpose?”

Born To Do Great Things

Very few of us, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a child prodigy who seemingly was pre-destined to become one of the greatest composers of all time, are born with a sense of purpose. The rest of us will get to a place at some point in our lives to ask the question, “Who am I and where am I going?”

Jesus was pre-destined. He knew where he came from, what was going to happen to him and where he was going according to the scriptures.

Purpose:
noun
1. The reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.
2. An intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
3. Determination; resoluteness.

Without purpose, there isn’t any reason to do anything. We eat in order to sustain, we sleep in order to energise, and we socialise in order to be connected. Everything we do has to have a purpose.

What is my purpose here with these blogs? This lies primarily with my purpose for becoming a counsellor.

So why did I become a counsellor and what does it have to do with a blog?

This story has taken my whole life to get to this point. It first began in primary school, when 2 friends, in particular, began sharing their struggles and pains with me. It felt powerful. I felt like I had something to give – though I was not sure what it was at the time. Then high school came and the same thing happened. This time I knew it was because I was so quiet, I had the trust of others not to spread their secrets. Then high school came to a close and I had to work out my next step. The school counsellor suggested counselling – I felt I knew better and would go into psychology instead. Though I soon found out that the very essence of what I loved doing, would take years to get to if I continued that path. One thing led to another and I eventually found the right course for me. I grew, I changed, I started thriving.

I was challenged to improve my life by applying what I learned in everyday situations. I still have a long way to go. Though now I feel like I have the basic foundations to keep riding this roller-coaster of life.

So what does blogging have to do with it? As a counsellor, my desire is to make myself redundant. Some people just need some nudges to explore areas in their life and to challenge their thinking. Others, like myself, need a bit more intensive work to get the ball rolling. My purpose for blogging is to achieve both. To give a directive nudge to make the unknown explored and to highlight areas that need to be explored more intensively. So now you know who I am and why I am here. The question you now need to ask is who are you and why are you here?

Permission Attained – By Jess Mannion
Cred. Grad. Cert. in Family Therapy, Grad Member CCAA, Provisional Member PACFA – 22436
Wellness Counselling

Identity in Christ

From a Biblical perspective, all human beings are created in the image of God, and Christians are new creatures being completed in Christ. In the Bible, we can read about who we are in Christ.

EMBRACE YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST – by Rick Warren

“He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:22a NLT)
Your faith will grow stronger as you focus on your identity in Christ (Galatians 2).
What this means is that you abandon any image of yourself that is not from God. You stop accepting what others have said about you, how others have labelled you, and how others have defined you.

You start believing what God says about you, that he is pleased with how he created you, and that God defines you.
You’re not defined by your feelings. You’re not defined by the opinions of others or by your circumstances. You’re not defined by your successes or failures. You’re not defined by the car you drive, the money you make, or the house you say you own when the bank really does.
You are defined by God and God alone. He identifies you as his own.“ (2 Corinthians 1:22).
By Pastor Rick Warren – Embrace Your Identity In Christ

Sources
Wikipedia – Mozart

Christians have an opportunity to study counselling courses from a biblical worldview. Study The CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling at aifc. We also provide Short Courses and Professional Development.

In partnership with Stirling Theological College and the University of Divinity, new study integrated study pathways have been made available to aspiring counsellors to study right up to a Doctorate level. See the Bachelor of Counselling page for more information.