The Blueprint Within
Introduction
I had several writing pieces prepped for this month, but I landed on this one.
One stemmed from a personal experience that reminded me how fragile life can feel — how quickly hopes, desires, or plans can shift in a single moment.
By God’s grace and mercy, during this time I felt the nudge in my heart — the Holy Spirit — speaking to my heart again about how our lives; body, soul, and spirit, are shaped not only by His grace but also by the decisions we make each day.
My prayer is that these words reflect His light, and that they remind us (myself included) of the beauty of choosing His way, the way of surrender, the way of truth, the way of life. John 14:6 (AMP)
“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].’”
Luke 9:23 (AMP)
Body, Soul, and Spirit — The Design
When God created man, He spoke with purpose and perfect unity, saying:
“…‘Let Us [Father, Son, Holy Spirit] make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.’”
Genesis 1:26 (AMP)
From the beginning, God’s intention in creating humanity was to draw us into relationship with Himself, to know Him, to walk with Him, to reflect His likeness.
As we live life today, we are not merely physical beings walking the earth without purpose or meaning. God still sees us as He did on the day He formed us, His creation, made with care, made for more.
We are not here simply to go through routines and responsibilities.
We were created for much more.
God designed us with body, soul, and spirit, distinct, yet woven together by His hands.
Our body enables us to live, to serve, and to experience His creation.
Our soul, the seat of will, emotion, and thought — engages with choices, wrestles with desires, and directs our daily steps.
Our spirit is what allows us to commune with God, to sense His nearness, to respond to His presence, to long for Him even when we don’t fully understand that longing.
When we make decisions, we are not only deciding for our body or self. Our decisions affect our soul and either strengthen or distance our spirit’s connection with God.
And by His mercy, we are given the power through Christ to align body, soul, and spirit under His lordship — to choose His way.
The Crossroads of Choice
The blessing of life, this precious gift of walking the earth, breathing the breath God gives, and being entrusted with choice, reflects the truth of His Word: He, in His love, granted us free will.
And yet, His plan, His will, His purpose, will always supersede what we think is greater, better, or wiser.
This is why, when we face choices, when paths are set before us and invitations placed in front of us, the decisions we make begin to form a rhythm, a blueprint that shapes our hearts and minds.
And even then, God is present
By His sovereignty and mercy, He offers us the nudge, the voice of the Holy Spirit, to order our steps.
“Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).”
Proverbs 19:21 (AMP)
His mercy makes room for intervention, for redirection, for redemption, calling us back, offering us His way, again and again.
Many times it may appear life is going well, as if things are falling into place. But without God’s presence, without His hand upon it, all of it will be fleeting.
The true significance of anything in this life is found only in this: God’s mercy is ever present. It is His mercy that gives meaning, His mercy that sustains, His mercy that invites us back when we have strayed.
This is Grace.
Yet even as God orders our steps, it does not mean we always follow as we should.
His mercy stands, even when we stumble.
“For it is God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13 (AMP)
His mercy remains. His Spirit keeps calling. His grace provides the strength to choose His way.
Personal Reflection
Recently, I allowed my heart to incline toward hopes that, while good in God’s timing, were not meant for now.
I stepped ahead of Him, and heartbreak followed — not the kind that comes from suffering for Christ, but the kind that comes when we veer from His path.
It felt like life changed in an instant. But that moment was really the fruit of small choices, cemented over time.
And yet, God met me there, with mercy, with awakening, with love.
I do not say this lightly. I understand the gravity of words and the responsibility of the one who speaks them.
I share this as a woman redeemed by God, called to sanctification, and blessed with the gift of repentance.
As a child of God, I am responsible for my choices and actions. And I would be remiss not to acknowledge those who have witnessed my journey; my walk, my missteps, my growth.
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
2 Corinthians 3:3 (AMP)
I know that my life speaks, whether I intend it to or not.
To those who have seen moments when my choices did not reflect the One I belong to, I offer this humble recognition.
I thank God for His grace, and I thank you for yours.
My desire remains to reflect His light as He continues to shape me.
I don’t write as someone with all the answers or someone seeking to impose an experience on others.
My heart is to spread the light of Christ, not only for others, but for myself.
I need these reminders. I need His truth. I need to be drawn back to His light, again and again.
David: The Impact of Choices
Consider David. A man after God’s own heart, deeply loved, chosen, and redeemed. And yet, even David’s decisions, made in weakness, in selfishness, in sin, carried consequences that he still had to face.
Take the story of David and Bathsheba.
David chose to take what was not his, arranging for Uriah’s death so he could claim Bathsheba. A child was conceived from that union. And David, realizing the weight of what he had done, lay in fasting and weeping, pleading before God for the child’s life.
“David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.”
2 Samuel 12:16 (AMP)
Yet, in God’s will, sovereign, perfect, and beyond what David could understand — the child died.
And even in that painful reality, in grief, he recognized that God’s will supersedes all things. God’s will and mercy still stood. He rose, washed his face, and worshipped, not because he understood everything, but because he trusted the One who does.
“Then David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself [with oil], and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped.”
2 Samuel 12:20 (AMP)
David lived with the reality of his choices, but he also lived in the light of God’s mercy.
This is something I have experienced, something I have come to understand more deeply, and something I now strive to live: the reality of my own decisions, and the greater reality of God’s mercy covering me through it all.
And you, too, may find yourself in such a space, a humbled place, a place of silence.
Humbled or Silent Places
Know this: God sees you. You are not forgotten. This is not the end of your story.
“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.”
Psalm 23:4 (AMP)
It is often in these places, where humility deepens us and silence surrounds us, that God draws near.
He prepares us.
He teaches us to lean fully on Him.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow].”
Psalm 147:3 (AMP)
Like David, I have found myself needing to get up, wash my face, and choose to worship, not because I understood everything, but because I trust the One who does.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation].”
Matthew 11:28 (AMP)
Final Reflection
Where have your choices shaped your current steps?
Can you trace God’s hand gently redirecting you, perhaps in ways you didn’t see at first, but now recognize as His mercy?
Are there desires you need to surrender to His timing, trusting that His plans are better than anything we could create for ourselves?
Maybe you, too, are in a place where it’s time to get up, wash your face, and worship, not because you understand everything, but because you choose to trust the One who does.
Perhaps today is the day to ask God, in faith, to reshape the blueprint of your heart for His glory. To ask Him to help you choose His way, even when you don’t want to, even when you don’t feel it, even when the path ahead seems unclear.
Take a moment. Breathe. Bring your heart before Him.
The God who formed your body, who breathed life into your spirit, who watches over your soul. He is for you. He is faithful.
His plans for you are good. His mercy is ever present. And He will bring you through.
Amen!
© 2025 Jivean Martinez. All rights reserved. Please do not copy, repost, or share without written permission.
