For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
It seems like everyone either is a life coach or has a life coach. If I had more time and money, I’d love to have some savvy visionary inspiring me, coaxing me to create and stick with a plan, and cheering me on. One can find a coach for just about anything, and coaching courses and certifications abound.
My husband, Ray, an addictions counselor, is a Florida-certified recovery coach. He’s explained to me that one of the principles of coaching is to support clients in their own approaches. In fact, even life coaches often just support you in your pursuit of your goals. I have a coach at my new teaching job, and while she does share some helpful tips and tools, she mostly just supports me as I find my way. Herein lies a potential downside of coaching. Looking back on my life, I see that at least some of my goals have been self-serving or otherwise misguided.
But wait just a minute—in today’s verse Paul assures me that I have the ultimate Life Coach! One who not only knows me intimately but actually created me (Psalm 139:13) with a perfect and specific plan in mind (Jeremiah 29:11).
In fact, God can and does give us aspirations and desires according to His purpose for our lives. We can discern them through our close relationship with Him, cultivated through Bible study, fellowship with Him, healthy friendships and—especially for me personally—time spent earnestly seeking Him. This is no complimentary one-hour consultation; this is an intimate, ongoing, and sometimes messy personal relationship with Jesus, the perfect Life Coach.
Faith Step: Do you have a dream or goal you’re longing to achieve? How can you let Jesus coach you into realizing it?
