“What’s my purpose in life?” “What am I here for?” “Who am I?” Have you heard these questions from someone before or even asked them yourself? I think we all reflect on these sometimes.  We will answer these using The Three Circles.

My church uses an illustration called The Father’s Heart that helps us gain a better understanding of who we are, who God is, and what we were created to do. And at the risk of sounding partial, it’s really awesome! Susan and I believe it clearly portrays our true identity, but at the same time, the reality of how too often we incorrectly think about ourselves and view God and our purpose. I routinely show this to clients who are struggling with their spirituality, identity, and purpose in life.

It’s natural to lose our way and struggle from time to time. Consequently, we need help to change our minds, think rightly, and bring us back to the Truth. The 3 Circles diagram, The Father’s Heart, is a great way to do that.

 

When we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross, He gives us our identity
as a person. We can now have a relationship with God, which is what He really desires! 

And when we do that, we can live out our purpose in life.

Identity … Relationship … Purpose

We’ll dive deeper into The 3 Circles over the next three weeks. But here’s a quick overview:

The 3 Circles represent The Father’s Heart. We look at it starting with “Receive His Grace,” Which is the “Identity” circle and move clockwise to “Experience His Presence,” The “Relationship” circle, and then “Release His Kingdom,” the “Purpose” circle. Look in the middle of those intersecting circles. It’s the Father’s Heart for you!

Most of us make the mistake of starting in Circle 3 and moving counterclockwise or backward: we do all kinds of things for God that we think will help us earn our way into His presence and pay for the shame and brokenness of our past. We feel that doing all of these things is the only way to be significant in His eyes.

But that’s not the case!

View The full service that includes The Father’s Heart and 3 Circles by John Stickl of Valley Creek Church here.

God’s very heart is for His creation, His people, to have a heart that is free to live. For us to live free, we need to focus more on what Jesus has done for us rather than what we have to do for Him.

Jesus’ Transaction

  • When I receive His grace, I will want to experience His presence and will want to release His kingdom.
  • When I know who I am, I will know who God is, and I’ll know what I’m created to do.
  • When I know I am a beloved son, I will run to the Father and spend my life building His kingdom. 

 

  • If I resist His grace, I will avoid His presence and spend my life building my own kingdom.
  • If I don’t know who I am, I will have no idea who God is and will have no idea what I am created to do.
  •  If I don’t know I am forgiven, I will be afraid of God. I will avoid Him and spend my life attempting things to pay for my own sin and my own shame.

 

All we’re saying here is that we are drawn by grace rather than driven by expectations. Our identity leads to the relationship we can have with God, which gives us our purpose.

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Did we leave anything out? Are you as excited as we are about learning more about The 3 Circles? How do you think this extra knowledge will benefit your relationship? Please send us a quick email and help us keep this conversation going at Mike@MikeandSusanDawson.com.