Does This Sound Like You?

Does it seem like you used to be more joyful, happy, fulfilled, purposeful, etc., than you are now?

Have you wondered what's missing?

It could be that you don't know or aren't living out your true identity. Because of your life circumstances, pressure from expectations of other people, or drift, you might have lost track of who you really are.

Discovering and living your Core Values can help you regain joy and direction in your life and Christian calling.

Why Discovering Core Values Restores Joy and Direction in Life and Calling

Your Core Values are who God has created you to be:

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13-18)

Who you are—Your Core Values—does not change much from childhood through adulthood. When you know and live out your Core Values, you feel joy and fulfillment. When you don’t, you feel unhappy and aimless.

Yet many people do not know what their Core Values are.

Let me show you what a difference it makes if you know and live your Core Values, by telling you a bit of my own story.

Career has always been important to me. From childhood, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives for the glory of God.

As a child, I was always reading books, learning about nature and science, planning things, and building things. So I went to college, got a Ph.D. in chemistry, and taught college chemistry for 15 years.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to make an eternal impact. That means I want to help people come to a saving relationship with Jesus, and I want to help them grow in their relationship with Him.

So when I had the opportunity to quit my job as a chemistry professor and become one of the pastors at my church, I was delighted, even though it was a big decrease in pay.

While I was a pastor, I continued to go to school, earning a seminary degree, even though that was not a requirement. And I continued to read many books after I finished seminary.

After some undiagnosed health problems, my energy level was low, and I needed a lot more sleep. Two years later, my medical situation had not improved much, while my pastoral role had increased. My pastoral role had also changed, becoming more administrative. So I found myself wondering about switching careers again.

At a conference, I met a Christian Life Coach, and my heart quickened. As I researched life coaching, I read about and discovered my own Core Values.

After I discovered my Core Values, I understood more about why God had led me in different directions in my life.

One of my Core Values is learning. I am happiest when my life includes school! So now, I am proactive about feeding my brain, because I love that!

Another of my Core Values is nature. When I do not take time to walk and do other activities in the great outdoors, my life is not as full as it could be.

Another of my Core Values is adventure. When a job or my life gets too predictable, or when I have to do the same tasks over and over again, I get stressed and frustrated. So now I intentionally plan new adventures, such as travel, learning new skills, etc.

My top Core Value is making an eternal impact. I feel most alive when I am living all of my values to help other people know and grow in Christ.

Being a Life Coach while living in Florida helps me to live all of my Core Values for eternal impact. And that includes helping you to find and follow your Divine Calling! 

What difference would it make in your life if you knew and lived the Core Values that God put inside you?

Below are 6 steps to discover and live your uniquely created Core Values.

1. Ask God What Your Core Values Are

To discover your Core Values, ask God to show you the answers to the questions in the box below.

A personal spiritual retreat might give you more time and focus. Click here for some tips on how to do one.

As you prayerfully answer the questions below, try to write down some of your personal values related to your answers.

Don’t worry about exactly what a personal value is. Just prayerfully write down your answers without over-thinking them.

Later, you can look at a list of common Core Values. But first, try to identify some of your Core Values on your own. If you look at a list of values first, you're more likely to choose certain values that you want instead of values that you actually have.