READ: JOHN 1:9-13; ROMANS 8:16-17; 1 JOHN 3:1-3

Have you ever heard someone say they were “created to be” an artist or an athlete or a leader? Growing up, I believed I was created to write because it brings me so much joy and allows me to encourage others. Perhaps there’s something you enjoy doing that has come to feel central to your identity too.

But what if we weren’t created to “do,” but to “be”?

The problem with basing our identity around any earthly thing is that when that activity or relationship isn’t going well, it can feel like our value plummets. That doesn’t mean those things are wrong. Obeying God may even look like participating in those activities, but these pursuits aren’t why God created us.

God created us to be His children. You are God’s daughter or son, simply because you have believed in Him and trusted in Jesus’s finished work on the cross.

As God’s children, we recognize that we need God to take care of us, just as children need their parents to care for them. God delights in us, even when we stumble and require His helping hand (Zephaniah 3:17). He reminds us that our identity as His beloved, forgiven children will not be shaken even if everything else in our lives crumbles.

Before we can do anything to glorify God, we must first root ourselves in our identity in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). That doesn’t mean everything will come easy—just look at Jesus. Fully God and fully human, Jesus lived the perfect life and yet experienced tremendous suffering. But He was willing to endure the cross because He loves us, and He was determined to make the way for us to become God’s children. When Jesus rose from the grave, He promised to always be with us. So we can take heart knowing that even when we experience suffering, even if the things we love to do are stripped away, we will never have to walk alone.

As God’s children, we will always be treasured in His eyes. • Hannah Chung

• What activities, relationships, or other aspects of your life have contributed to your sense of self?

• What do you think it means that we weren’t created to “do,” but to “be”?

• How does it make you feel to know that God sees you as His child? How might rooting your identity in God’s love for you affect the way you approach life?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

READ: ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8; ROMANS 8:28-30, 38-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:4-10

Here it is. Autumn. We see the first of the leaves beginning to change color. Even as they glow and look beautiful, the sight of them may fill some of us with a sense of dread. We know that as soon as the leaves fully change, they will begin to fall from the trees. Then the branches will be bare, the weather will turn chilly, and nothing will seem nearly as pretty or fun.

But as the season changes, we don’t have to lose hope. God can use even our darkest, coldest, barest season for good. Jesus Himself went through the darkness, coldness, and bareness of death on our behalf; then He rose from the dead to bring us near to God and secure our resurrection when He returns. As we rest in the hope of what Jesus has done for us, God can help us grow so much, even in times when we feel like we are in a rut. He is at work in and through us even when we feel like we have nothing to offer.

The coming of autumn doesn’t have to scare us. If we know Jesus, God is with us even now. He can use any season for good. When leaves fall, there is hope that they will come back again. It’s not the end for them. And when things end or change in our lives, there is always hope for something new. Even as the days get darker and the trees become bare and cold, there is hope for spring ahead. God will help you through this season, and as you lean into His love, you may even get to see how He uses it for good in your life. • Bethany Acker

• Even in dark seasons, God is at work. Can you think of any ways you’ve seen God bring something good out of a difficult time, either in your own life or someone else’s?

• We won’t always see the good things God is doing through our dark seasons, but we can know that He is with us and He will never leave us. How could this be an encouragement in your life?

• During the darker, colder months of the year, it’s normal to feel more sad, lonely, or anxious than usual, and God invites us to process these feelings with Him and the people He has placed in our lives. If you find yourself experiencing an overwhelming amount of depression or anxiety, who is a trusted Christian adult you can talk to?

• If you’re not sure who to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13; COLOSSIANS 3:1-4; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

No one understands! I’m a failure—useless. People would be better off without me. I didn’t want to feel like this, but the thoughts came anyway. Would anyone notice if I was gone?

Have you ever felt like this—hopeless and discouraged? If you’re a child of God, Satan is going to want to stop you. What better way to stop you from serving God than to make you feel useless and like a failure? But what does God say in His Word?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes something shocking: “Give thanks in everything.” Paul, the man who had faced more discouragement than most—the man who had been beaten numerous times, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, mocked, and who was struggling with a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)—tells us to give thanks! Not only that. He goes on to say it’s God’s will for us to be thankful.

Didn’t Paul feel discouraged? Absolutely! He admits he wasn’t naturally thankful or content; it was something he had to learn (Philippians 4:11). When Paul told us to give thanks, he knew it would be hard. He knew heartache, pain, discouragement, and depression. But he also knew God.

Hopelessness is not what God wants for us. And He doesn’t leave us alone in our despair—He came to us in Jesus. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can know that all the hard things we go through are temporary, and our struggles don’t define us. When we give thanks to God, it turns our focus onto Him and the abundant hope He has given us through Jesus. If we dwell on our difficulties, we will be discouraged, but when we turn to God, thanking Him in every situation, we experience His joy.

Is it easy to give thanks during the hard things? When your friends betray you, when your mom is in the hospital, and when you don’t fit in? No, of course not. But the reason God calls us to thankfulness is because He loves us and wants to point us to Christ. He is the true source of joy. • Priscilla J. Krahn

• What are some good things God has brought out of difficult things in your life?

• How does the gospel, and looking forward to Jesus’s return, affect how we understand God’s call to give thanks in every situation? (For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

• If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless, who is a trusted adult you could talk to today?

Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (CSB)