Do You Want to Build a Life Map? Free Download!
- Dianna L Lanser
- Jan 16
- 2 min read
Our lives are made up of a million little stories. All day long a stream of conversations, happenings, and circumstances conjoin to form an event that is part of a longer narrative
called life. Some of these accounts are funny, some are filled with drama or mystery, some encourage and give us hope, while other events crush us with their pain and sorrow. Characters come and go, we mature and grow or sometimes stumble and travel down unplanned paths.
A life map is a way to reflect on this journey called life by identifying the people, circumstances, and events that have shaped us. It is a visual timeline that helps us understand our relationship with God and how we have responded to Him in the peaks and valleys of our lives. Life mapping allows us to recognize those key moments of God's care and providence, deepening our faith and strengthening our hope.
As long as I can remember, God’s hand has been on my life. Yet, when working through my life map, I realized it was the difficult moments—not the easy ones—that God used to reveal more of Himself and shape my character. When my parents passed away in my early twenties, God taught me to hold things loosely and to trust fully in Him and His plans rather than my own. When my marriage hit a rough patch and finances were thin, He revealed to me the joy of giving “thanks in all things.” When my job role suddenly changed, God taught me that my worth isn’t defined by what I do, but by who He is, and I saw firsthand how He truly works all things for our good.
Let me be clear: the process of learning was far from easy. It took weeks, months, and even years filled with setbacks, doubts, struggles, and tears. But every time I reached the end of myself and fully placed my sorrows into God’s loving hands, I found peace, hope, and understanding through my pain.
When the storyline of my novel, Even In This, first began to form in my imagination, I knew I wanted the book to reflect my experience with pain and loss and the God who transformed it into something beautiful. As I began to write and develop the story, He directed my thoughts and gave me a deeper understanding of His heart for me and others like me who “face trials of many kinds.” God is loving, trustworthy, and strong enough to help us in our troubles. To be sure, life events mark us, but they have the power to change us—for the better.
If you would like to give life mapping a try and become more aware of where God has been present and working in your life, click below to download this free and helpful “How To”.
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