Undaunted by Christine Caine

The Call 
Have you ever walked into a place and been shocked as people popped out from behind the doors and furniture and shouted, “Surprise!” at the top of their lungs? If you have, you know the feeling of being both startled and delighted at the same time. Once your heart rate drops to normal, the adrenaline stops coursing through your veins, and you realize what is happening, you are delighted that these people have gathered to celebrate your birthday or other special event. They have planned, communicated, and gathered to surprise you and let you know you are loved. Everyone enjoys a surprise . . . when the news is good.

 Sometimes we face a moment when we receive news that startles us and redefines our life. With one line, a letter in the mail, a text message, or conversation, the landscape of our future looks completely different.

 A woman receives a call from her doctor’s office asking her to come in so they can review the results of the mammogram she had a few weeks earlier. She senses the news is not good, but has to wait two days to meet with the doctor. When she gets the report and learns that she has cancer, she enters a time of asking, Who am I, and what does my future hold?

 An employee who has devoted fifteen years to the same company opens an envelope from his boss which begins, “We want to thank you for your years of service,” and ends with, “we are downsizing, and your position has been removed.” The words on this single sheet of paper cause him to wonder, Am I the same person now that my job is gone? How should we respond when we face a moment that makes us feel we are not who we thought we were? Where do we look when the foundation of our life seems to shake, crack, and crumble beneath our feet?




 Bible Study Questions 
1. Christine talks about how she experienced God’s presence and peace in the midst of receiving shocking and painful news. How have you felt the presence of God and his sustaining power right in the middle of a hard time in your life?

 2. Read: Psalm 139:1–6, Psalm 139:13–16. What do you learn about God in this passage? What do you learn about yourself? How can an unshakable confidence in the truth of this passage help us in times when we receive shocking and lifealtering news?

 3. What are some of the things that people in our world tend to use to establish their sense of value, identity, and purpose in life? Why is it dangerous to base our worth on these sorts of things? Christine talks about how in a single moment, when she learned she was adopted, everything in her life changed. Yet, in a very real sense, nothing changed. Her fundamental identity was still the same. What are the things about you that will never change, no matter what you face, because of who you are in Christ? When you believe God is who he says he is, when you hang onto him and his Word in faith, his truth sets you free. The truth you store up in silence comes back to you in the storm, and it lifts you away as on a life raft from the fears and disappointments that would otherwise pull you down.

 4. Read: John 8:31-32. Jesus told his followers that the truth would set them free. What are some of the things that God declares are true about you and me? How can holding to these truths in the tough and uncertain times of life help us maintain a clear sense of who we are?

 5. The Bible tells us that God’s works are marvelous. God made you and me. This means we are marvelous! Tell something marvelous about yourself. Why is it so hard, in a day-to-day way, to see ourselves as marvelous in God’s sight and truly valuable?

 6. Read: Genesis 1:24 – 31. The pinnacle of God’s creation is people. In Genesis God makes the stars, seas, plants, and animals and calls them “good.” On the sixth day, when God created people, he said they were “very good”! God has a plan, purpose, and destiny for your life. How can you learn to identify and begin following God’s plan for your life? What gets in the way of your doing so? If you have gained some direction and clarity concerning God’s plan and destiny for your life, share what you have received in the comments section below. Let us know how we can encourage you and pray for you as you seek to follow God’s plan!

 7. When Christine says, “We are not a product of time, we are a product of eternity,” what is she getting at? What does it mean to know you are a product of eternity? How can this outlook change the way we view ourselves? How can it shape the way we love and treat others?

 8. Read: Romans 8:37 – 39. What are some of the things the enemy tries to use to separate us from God’s love? What truth can we speak to combat these lies?

 9. The love of God will carry and sustain you, even in the hard times. How have you experienced that reality? Tell about a time when you experienced the sustaining love of God.

 10. What are the things that can get in the way of our bringing the love and grace of God to a broken world? What tends to get in your way? What is one step you can take to share God’s love in a tangible way with someone God has placed in your life?