Part 2 looks at what matters most to each of us specifically, especially from a higher perspective.

This is informed a lot by our identity and design.

God is very specific about each of us. He did not make a mistake with you. There is no one that is like you. There is only one version of you.

What matters most to us as informed by our design and identity can be explained by way of two examples, e.g. a farmer and an artist.

Because design and identity are so important in this, let's start looking at that here, but design and identity will be further explored in subsequent conversations. It is more important than your job, profession or vocation.

God's design is blueprint, almost like DNA. How do we know what that is?

1. Look at the meaning of your name.

2. What do others say about you but be careful to build your identity on what others say. It has to be based on what God says first and foremost.

3. Do you have verses from scripture that you received at your baptism, coming of age, confirmation or marriage for example and what do they say about your design?

4. Have you read any passage in the Bible that just "spoke to you"?

5. Do you have any verses from the Bible that someone else gave you and that relate to your design?

Discernment in this process is very important, so we do not become deceived. Discernment is worthy of a whole conversation on its own, but a place to start is Heb. 4:12. Compare this to how one recognizes a counterfeit banknote, which is by being familiar with the real thing.

(By the way, write these things down that you know about yourself.)

God cares about you and has your best interest at heart. (Matt. 6:25-34, specifically verse 30 and 32; Luk. 12:7; Ps. 139, specifically verses 2-4, 16, 17; Matt. 7:11)

You are God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10). He knows everything about us intricately, intimately and in every detail, but do we listen and are we hearing what He says?

God is all powerful and nothing is impossible for Him (Luk. 1:37; Jer. 32:17).

We can furthermore approach this discovery of who we are and what most to each of us in the following way:

• Have you ever asked God what He says about you? What does He say?

• Do you have a Biblical name that you associate with or have been called by? Names are very important to God.

• Have you had any dreams or visions that you know were about your identity?

• Look for anything else that helps you see yourself as God sees you. It has to start and end with what God says. God can use anything to speak to you, especially because our creativity is aligned with who God is.

• Have you heard the voice of God directly, whispering to you like Elijah on the mountain for example?

• Has an angel spoken to you? Have you seen angels?

• What do you remember from childhood or things that your parents, siblings or best friend have said to you that just stood out for you about yourself?

• What are the things that stir something deep inside you that you know somehow are linked to who you are?

• Are there specific characters in books, plays or movies that speak to you or you identify with? Why?

(It is important to record these things and write them, for example in a journal or a diary. As you increase in knowledge and understanding of who you are and your design, it becomes easier to see how new insight or revelation fits with what you know of yourself.)

Some further thoughts:

• How does what matters to you most, relate to the legacy that you want to leave behind? Have you even considered leaving behind a legacy?

• Does it honour those who have gone before you and on whose shoulders you now stand?

• Can you say that what matters most to you is noble, true and good? Philippians 4) Would others agree?

• Does it fit with making the world a better place? Are you making the world a better place? And is this higher perspective of what matters to you related to this or not?

• Is it constructive or destructive?

• How much of what matters most to you is only about you and comes from selfishness and egotistical interest? How much are you concerned with the well-being of others, the world around you and the greater good?

• Does what matter most to you inspire you and others?

Is the person that God sees actually the person that you are and how does this influence what matters most to you?

Grace and Grounds is about identity purpose and restoration, about who we truly are and who we were created to be and about our hearts. It is not about Personal Development.

In the previous podcast on what matters most, we looked at what most matters to us based on what we currently know. More importantly though, what is the higher perspective on who we are and therefore what matters to us and how does it relate to how God sees things.

What is this higher perspective and what is God's perspective?

We need to be open to learn and be corrected (Prov. 3:12). Restoration requires humility and readiness to change (2 Chron. 7:14). Principles to apply in this realignment with the higher perspective and God's view on it are:

• Prayerfully

• With humility

• Preparedness to learn more

• Seek God's perspective

When we seek God we will find Him (Jer. 29:12-14; Matt. 7:7-11. Draw near to God, cleanse yourself (James 4:8) and humble yourself (Verse 10).

Question: Do you think that what matters most to you, matters to God? Why? How do you know?

In order to answer this, we need to know God. Adn to know Him, we need a relationship with Him as our Almighty Father. But how do we know this? 1 Cor. 13:9-12 says we only know in part, so we cannot know Him completely. Jesus revealed what He heard from the Father (John 15:15) and 1 Cor. 2:10 says God revealed things He prepared for those who love Him, through His Sprit (Also look at Eph. 1:9, Col 1:26; Rom. 16:26). Deut. 29:29 again talks about secret things revealed to us forever.

The key to a higher perspective therefore is to draw near to God. It starts with a hunger and a thirst for Him: Seek, ask, explore, ask, knock.

If your cup is full, how can you fill it. You have to empty it first. We have to get rid of preconceptions, lies, noise, clutter, pretense, imitation, sin. We do this by becoming still, like I explained in my first podcast named Stop and be still.

How much of what we think matters is based on a perspective where God isn't present? How much of our perspective is based on a higher perspective?

Start with what you see or know. This is a journey. It's like gold refined, tested and purified', similar to our faith being purified in 1 Pet 1:7. Keep moving.

What is already inside of us and that doesn't belong forms a barrier between us and God. As we empty ourselves, and fill ourselves with truth of who we are, the counterfeit version of who we are disappears and more space becomes available to be filled with the truth about who we are and what matters to us.

You can do this with a friend, family member or in a group depending on your social circumstances.

This process of discovery who you are therefore runs hand in hand with moving closer to God. Approach this carefully, intentionally, honestly, truthfully.

Generally speaking, what matters to God is our heart. When God saw what He created in Genesis 1, He saw that it was good. Everything He created matters to Him, including us, especially because we are made in His image (Gen. 1:26-27).

We still need to become more specific about what matters to God, about this higher perspective. One way to do this, is to look at what pleases God, e.g. doing good (Matt. 6:1-4) and faith (Heb. 11:6). (Also look at 1 Thess. 5:16-18; 1 Sam. 15:22 and Proverbs 10, 11 and 21 for example.) Micah 6:8 furthermore says mercy, justice, humility matters to Him.

Can we say without doubt that we are living based on what matters to God? Are we looking at what matters to us from a higher perspective and from what please God?

Another way to see what matters to God, is what He blesses (Matt 5:1-12) and looking at what Jesus teaches (Matt. 5-8) and the apostles teach in the New Testament.

Again, How does what matters to us align with what matters to God? If it doesn't align, what do we need to change?

What has been shared here applies to us all. We need to be more specific even more, especially with regard to each of us individually. More on this in Part 2.

Remember we want to move closer to who we really are. Knowing God's perspective is important in this. We need to get rid of what stands between us and God. Knowing what matters to us will help us understand who we truly are.

What are the things that matter most to us?

We look at what matters most to us so we can get a better understanding of who we are and ultimately how that relates to how God sees us. We need a new perspective on who we are. How do we fit into the bigger picture?

We are made of a larger whole where we each contribute a particular value. We have to look past the fake imitation and superficial version of who we are and find the real version of who we are.

Who am I really? And are we able to answer that question in truth?

So, to identify what matters most to us, let's look at some questions:

• If the world ended tomorrow, what would you do today?

• What is it that makes you want to get up in the morning?

• What fills you with compassion and drives you to tears?

• What makes you laugh out of your belly? What gives you a smiles so great that others want to smile just seeing you smile?

• What makes your heart race and skip a beat?

• What will you be prepared to die for?

• What will you sell everything for just to have it?

Think about what Jesus says in Matt 13:44-46 about selling all you have to obtain that one special thing, referring to the Kingdom of heaven. In a way, what matters most to us is like treasure, so is your treasure where your heart is?

(Matt. 6:21, Luk. 12:34)

Or have you already sold everything, given it all to the poor and have your treasure in heaven?

(Matt. 19:16-22; Mark 10:21; Luk. 12:33)

Why does it matter to know who we are?

We need to know who we are, so we can develop and grow that and become the best we can be and realise its maybe not where we are. Trying to be someone else limits us. We can be successful even if we are not the best version of who we were made. We are wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). Are we living our shadow mission that John Ortberg writes about and missing who we really are? If our lives, missing it, seem to be so wonderful, imagine what how amazing it would be if we could live closer to what God made.

So, we have to improve and work with what we have, like an athlete or artist or a composer. Some take this so seriously, that they even do this on their deathbed, like Mozart composing his Requiem on his deathbed.

Just think of the generations and generations of people who have gone before us and on whose shoulders we stand. And those we need to leave something behind for, who come after us.

We are the clay and God is the potter (Jer. 18:6; Is. 64:8). God made us to thrive and prosper (Jer 29:11), surely His plan is better than anything we can come up without Him. He counted the hairs on our head (Matt 10:31), His heart for us is to bear good fruit (Matt 7:15-20).

Who am I, who are you, who are we to think we know better than God?

(Rom 9:20 and the example of Job: where was he when God created the universe?)

To help guide your thinking on this, here are some answers I have to some of these questions:

• If the world ended tomorrow, what would you do today? For me this includes spending time with family, the love of my life, tell people what they mean to me, pray and worship God and thanking God for what He has done.

• What is it that makes you want to get up in the morning? In my case this includes the joy and hope I feel, bringing peace, making music, my work, hearing birds and so on.

• What fills you with compassion and drives you to tears? Some things that do this for me are people who persevere in spite of their circumstances, who overcome, people hurting and suffering, and poignant and deeply honest love.

• What makes you laugh out of your belly? What gives you a smile so great that others want to smile just seeing you smile? For me this definitely is the love of my life, thinking of what God does, playing trumpet for example.

• What makes your heart race and skip a beat? Again, it is the love of my life, a beautiful sundown or nature scene, good music among other things.

Some negative questions:

• What makes you angry?

• What breaks your speed/ momentum?

(Mat 12:35; Luk 6:43-45)

Is our fruit eternal? Is it a treasure in heaven? How do things important to us compare to how God sees us? We need to think about these things.

We have become too busy and do not take enough time out to pause and just recenter, ground or anchor ourselves. The more we work to have time for ourselves, the less time we seem to have. Compare how fast and efficient things are, e.g. sending letters before the Internet vs email. Are we losing ourselves in this? It is like vanity and grasping for wind as the Book Ecclesiastes says. We are prisoners to this way of life. Are you concerned with 'where the world is going'? Are we missing the important things? The first step in addressing this is to Stop, Pause and becoming still.

(Exodus 14:14; Ps 46:10; Matt 11:28)

The practice of teatime, going home for lunch, siesta, tea ceremony, and coffee ceremony. (Heb 4:9-10; Matt 6:27) Applying the principle of stopping, pausing and being still: Take time out. Make a good cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa). Sit in a quiet spot. Breathe through your nose and out through your mouth. Relax your muscles starting with your shoulders. Engage all your senses in the moment, starting with smell, taste, feel. Become silent for 5 minutes.

Peace. (Philippians 4:6-7; John 14:27)

Don't become a dam. Let the water flow, i.e. share what works for you.

A second approach could be to have early morning quiet time, especially combining it with prayer (Mark 1:35)

Becoming still is fundamental to the restoration of who we are.

Life is too short not to have a good cup of coffee.