Challenge: By God’s Will

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.  Col 1:1 NASB

Am I who I am by the will of God or by the will of Ann?  I am definitely His child by His will.  In my sinfulness, I couldn’t have even known to will to be His child without His nudgings on my heart.  But beyond that, whose will reigns supreme? 

In all honesty, I don’t know the true answer to that question.  I know that I am Doug’s wife by God’s will.  He made that abundantly clear to me in the summer of 1998.  I know I am a ministry wife by the will of God.  I knew that before I had any idea Doug was to be my husband.  I can say the same of being a mom and even of homeschooling.

But the reality of who I am does not stop with just the basic definitions of my roles in life.  Paul wasn’t simply an apostle by definition.  Every aspect of his life was surrendered to the will of God. 

So, the true evaluation for me comes down to this: is the day to day fleshing out of being a wife, mother, homeschooler, and minister in full submission to the will of God?  That is what I am challenged to explore – and to submit as necessary – that I may truly and emphatically state that I am who I am by the will of God.