Step Four - Finding The Person God Created Me To Be

Many of us lost our true identity because we grew up in dysfunctional families and were forced to assume survival roles. God invites us to the truth that we are loved and that living now in the embrace of His love, we can become the complete person He created us to be.   

Our life with God in recovery is about finding both character strengths to build on and character defects that hinder us from becoming loving fulfilled individuals.  That’s the purpose of Step 4

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

The God who created us knows what living in love looks like. He is more than willing to teach us about that. However, we must give up control of what we think works because our best efforts led us to lives of addiction and pain.  God wants to show us a new way of achieving the life of love we desire. 

We love because he first loved us.  Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:19-21

How often have we felt we were doing pretty well, only to be confronted with a situation that showed us another character defect in need of attention.  We cannot excuse one area of defect by simply pointing to all the things we are doing well. While we need to see growth and build on that, we also need to remain humble and recognize that there are still things to learn and put into practice. 

The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

As we walk with God, consult wise people, and make an ongoing inventory of our lives, God will show us the adjustments we need to make and give us the desire to do so.

Loving God, help us to reclaim the life You planned for us when You created us in love.  Give us the humility to see our lingering defects and the willingness to change.  We desire to embrace Your way of living and loving in all our ways.  Amen

So today’s challenge is to make an inventory of our lives, both strengths and weaknesses, in light of God’s truth, and let Him introduce us to the person He created us to be. 

God says we are His masterpiece so we need to support what’s good, and identify and be willing to let go what’s harmful so we can be better than what we think but maybe different from what we thought we know.