Thursday, January 12, 2012

My Values

     God is good and He is working... My life has been flipping around these past few months and I praise God for all He has been teaching me and revealing to me! Mmmmm... He is good.
      For many years I have been asking God to send me a mentor, someone who will challenge me to be a set apart woman of God, to live FOR Him and Him alone, and to Biblically rebuke me.  I was always seeking this relationship, trying to find it in anyone who would pay any attention to the Bible and was a woman.  It became more a search for a person to hang out with instead of a divine relationship that would bring my closer to Jesus.  So I stopped praying about it, I stopped asking for it, and I stopped thinking about it all together.  I guess God knew I wasn't ready until now.  I LOVE that He knows my heart, and that He made my story different than anyone else, all the glory to Him for that.  In October God brought a mentor into my life literally out of no where! She has been so good to me and we both praise God for bringing us together as sisters in Christ, we both know it is all His doing and are so so thankful.
     Anyway, last week she had me take an assessment (for lack of a better word) to dig deep and find what my core values are.  She gave me a stack of cards (50) that each had a word or phrase on it.  I had to filter through all of these cards quickly, and a few times, to discover what my core values are.  I wish everyone could take this test, it has sincerely changed the way I live day to day.  I had a hard time only choosing five out of 50 but I did it!
So! Here are the core values of Olivia Jane Hurley, the things that I choose to live by everyday:

1. Relationships
2. Compassion
3. Helping/Serving Others
4. Authenticity
5. Prayer

     All of these things have a different meaning to me than they might to you, which makes it even more interesting.  I always knew I had value in things, especially in Christ, but I never knew the importance of seeking they way I am wired.  And living by the way that God wired me.  When we seek what He has done in our lives, pay attention to who we are in Him, then use His creation (our uniqueness) to do what He has called us to do, what could be more fulfilling and glorifying to Him? Honestly! What could be better?
    So think... what do you find value in? Fun? Innovation? Adventure? Honesty? Purity? Knowledge? Quiet time? What is the thing that drives you to Him? What is the value you find in yourself that makes you who you are? And are you living by these values? Because God instilled them into you for a reason... find out what it is.