2019 is coming to a close, and a brand new year is about to start. Personally, 2019 has been an amazing journey for growth and learning. As I ponder on the things God has done in my life this year, I am most thankful for these 3 lessons:
1) Growth is a Choice.
Someone once said that “You are the product of your own choices.” I discovered this year that growth (whether spiritual, professional etc.) is a decision.
I saw how choosing wisely spurred my growth. This year, I had the opportunity to join One Voice Magazine. It has been a great blessing to be part of the team! I am thankful because One Voice provided a safe place for me to grow in my craft as a graphic designer. One Voice Magazine allowed me to hone my craft for different layouts, choosing fonts, etc.–ways to best express myself through graphic design.
This year also had me choosing to stay in certain mission fields. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to be a full-time staff member of Jesus Is Lord Church University Belt! 2019 marked my 4th year in the ministry. It was also a great year for me to grow, not only in my intimacy with God through my church family, but also through the ministry of preaching. This year, I was given the privilege to have my first ever Sunday service preaching. This opportunity helped me develop my knowledge and practice of hermeneutics, homiletics, exegesis, and theology. (Phew! All these terms can bring a lot of headache! But see, I learned a lot!)
First preaching ever!
Pursuing growth in any aspect is costly, but the reward is indeed sweet!
2) You cannot answer your WHAT if you cannot answer your WHY.
In my meditations, I have asked myself: “Why do I do what I am doing? Why am I in full-time ministry? Why am I mobilizing churches? Why am I reaching out to barangays at the University Belt in Manila? Why am I working as a graphic designer in One Voice Magazine?”
I realized that the answers in the Why’s of what I’m doing is to hasten the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. Knowing the answer to every why gives me a sense of purpose and an assurance that what I am doing is not in vain, but that they have an eternal purpose and significance.
3) Your worth is not found on the things that you do. Your worth is found in how God sees you, and that He sees you as His beloved Child.
This 2019, I thank God for entrusting new things to me in the ministry and in bringing me to One Voice Magazine as a graphic designer. As a man who wears many hats, I have the tendency to find my worth in what I do. This year, I realized that it is not what I do that makes me worth much. My worth comes from being God’s beloved child. He made me precious in His sight. I don’t have to do anything just to gain His Love for me. I am already valuable.
One of my favorite songs this 2019 says:
“So stop acting as though you could earn it
I don’t love you ’cause you deserve it
I love you because that’s who I am
Let love win”
-Jon Thurlow: “Confidence in Love,” Heat of Your Gaze ℗ 2012
May we find our worth in Jesus and in knowing that we are God’s beloved children.
As 2019 come to a close, may we treasure the things we learn. Let us carry them with us in our hearts as another chapter opens for us in 2020.
Igy Zafe
Igy Zafe dreams of seeing Rev. 7:9 in his generation. He is actively mobilizing the Body of Christ through the Kairos Course. He is also the Administrative Staff of JIL U-Belt and the Layout Artist of One Voice Magazine.
