In light of some of the things that have been going on with me the past couple months (years really), a friend recently recommended this book to me:

Wow.  It’s that massive elephant-on-the-couch question that has defined my generation, and by default me, more than any other.  I’ve only read the first five or six chapters, but it’s already got me turning the pages, periodically stopping to yell, “YES!” or I’ll shake my upraised hands and exclaim, “Finally.  We’re getting somewhere.”  The people in these true-life stories are on the same quest for meaning, purpose, passion, and calling that I have been on for so long.  This winding, twisting trail.

I’m sure I’ll be throwing some quotes out as I delve into this question and book more.  Here are the first few paragraphs of the introduction:

We are all writing the story of our life.  We want to know what it’s “about,” what are its themes and which theme is on the rise.  We demand of it something deeper, or richer, or more substantive.  We want to know where we’re headed–not to spoil our own ending by ruining the surprise, but we want to ensure that when the ending comes, it won’t be shallow.  We will have done something.  We will not have squandered our time here.  This book is about that urge, that need…

I found I was intrigued by people who had unearthed their true calling, or at least those who were willing to try.  Those who fought with the seduction of money, intensity, and novelty, but overcame their allure.  Those who broke away from the chorus to learn the sound of their own voice.  Nothing seemed more brave to me than facing up to one’s own identity, and filtering out the chatter that tells us to be someone we’re not.

I like that last line about “facing up to one’s own identity” and filtering out the chatter of the false self.  Until recently I never understood the bravery required in such an endeavor of self-discovery.  I had to move all the way to China and live there for three years to really come to grips with the real ME.  Such drastic measures.

Lord, give us courage as we look in the mirror.  Grant us the faith required to step into our own skin…wherever that may lead us.