Fact, Fate, Faith

Posted by laurieetta on January 23, 2016 in Being Human | 1 Comment

At noon on Thursdays, a group of us women are looking at the study called, “Me, Myself and Lies.” This past week we talked about labels in our lives and were asked to consider what our “fact,” “fate,” and “faith” labels are. The fact label was something about ourselves that we maybe didn’t ask for but nonetheless was a label we acquired. For Jennifer Rothschild, the author of this study, her fact label was blindness. She didn’t ask for it and at times in her life, she was angry and resentful that God allowed that label into her life. Her fate label was that she felt isolated and frustrated. But it became her faith label when she learned to trust God, who redeemed the label by allowing her faith journey to be a blessing to multitudes of people.

My fact label that I struggled with was “divorced.” It was not something I wanted or asked for, yet it became a reality in my life. The fate label was that I felt unloved, guilty and like a failure. But God turned it into a faith label by using that time to draw me closer to him, feel his love and be able to empathize with others who have dealt with rejection.

Do you have a fact label that you struggle with? Has it left you with a fate you don’t want? It’s easy to let that fate define you. But whatever it is, God can redeem it and use it for good. If you let him, you’ll soon find he wants to define you as his.

Let me leave you with these lines from the movie, “Hugo.” Hugo’s father was a clock maker but he died, leaving Hugo an orphan who continued his father’s work by secretly tending to clocks at a train station in Paris. He befriends Isabelle and together they have many adventures. At one point, Isabelle asks, “I wonder what my purpose is?” To which Hugo answers:

“Everything has a purpose, clocks tell you the time, trains takes you to places. I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine—I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

Being Human connection: No one is an extra part. No label can steal your purpose. God can turn any fact or fate into faith.