Who am I that God is mindful of me? 

I would like to take a few moments to introduce myself to my readers just because some of you might be interested to know who is behind this website. I often find myself checking out who is the author of a book, the designer of a fashion style, the architect of an amazing building, the painter of a masterpiece or the parents who raised a well behaved and polite kid. The more I know about the person, the better I can relate to him/her and I can understand more about their work. 

My name is Piri Darabont and I’m in my mid thirties, happily married and mother of three handsome, full of energy, never stopping boys. I was born in Romania (Europe) in a Hungarian speaking family, but moved in Canada in 1997. I grew up in a Christian family. I will not mention the denomination of the church I grew up, because I honestly believe that religion by itself means nothing. In every denomination there are honest, God loving people and in every denomination are people who think they are better then others, people who instead of being like Jesus will turn away even those who want to find God. In every denomination are people who have a real personal relationship with God and those who don’t. You can tell the difference by the way they live and talk. 

As I mentioned above, I grew up in a Christian family, attended Sunday school from the time I was able to walk. I always wanted to please God, I had a desire to be his “good little girl”, I tried hard to please my parents and God, and for many years I thought that was the way to earn God’s love and attention. 

In my teenage years I was rebellious, because my father had a double life. He was a “good” person at church, but a whole lot different (abusive) at home. My dad had an anger issue, which kept us constantly on edge - we never knew what the next moment would hold. But my dad has some really nice positive attributes too, he works hard to provide for his family and he would help every time when someone would ask. 

Unfortunately, I inherited some of my dad’s not so loved genes too. I realized in my early twenties that I had some anger issues too. I was angry at my dad and I couldn’t change him, so I took my frustration out on others. One day I told God: “I don’t want to be this person, God you either change me and I will have a real personal relationship with you and be a real Christian, or I will not attend church and be religious at all.” I don’t want to live a double life; I don’t want to be like dad.  Guess what: God answered my prayer. 

God used different circumstances and people in my life to reach out and to start a work in my life. He changed me from the inside out. I am not where I want to be, but I am far from who I used to be. When you honestly tell God to change you and you let him to work on you … he will. 

This website is all about the “work-in-progress” I am. We all are “works in progress” and God has a deep desire to change us. He loves us just the way we are, we will never be able to earn his love - we just have to accept his love. But once you give your life to God, he loves you too much to leave you the way you are. He’ll work on you to change you, to transform you into the person he has made you to be. 

Sometimes I look at my attitude and wonder how God was able to transform me from the angry, rebellious girl I was into the woman I’ve become. If you want to be honest, you know when things change inside of you. It’s more often the unspoken words that nobody knows about, and your changed attitude that leaves you in awe of what God has done. 

I used to be selfish and proud. Now I realize that everything I am is because of God’s mercy and grace. Without God I was an angry control freak. Today I know that God is in control and I can let it go - I don’t have to control everything and everybody. I used to see other people’s differences as a negative, whereas today I see them as a blessing. After all, life would be pretty boring if everyone were a “mini me”. 

God is so creative that he made us unique, so we can work together, help and complement each other. I used to look at people and see them as failures, today I look at people and see the huge potential they have, I wonder what God’s dreams are for that person. All of these changes in me are because of God’s wonderful, loving, transforming hand. I am nothing, absolutely nothing without God. All I am and all I will be is because of my loving Father. In his amazing love, he took me just the way I was and changed me to become a person who can live a life that brings glory to his name. 

Do you want God to change your life too? Follow me and learn what God did, and how he challenged me and transformed me. I can not promise you anything, I just pray that God through his Holy Spirit will help you understand how much he loves you and how much he cares about you. I pray that you’ll be able to take his hand, and in faith, let him change you too. Even though there are no promises, whatever you’re searching for, God can do an incredible heart transplant in you, just like he has done in me. 

You might wonder what else I like to do when I’m not working on this website. 

I work as a debt reduction champion with a passion for showing individuals how to budget, helping people make better financial choices. I take an educational approach to help people understand about their financial plan and which financial products will work best for them. I share lots of financial information on my other website, The Financial Power. Sadly, the financial industry is very self-serving and places their own interests before those of their investors. There are inside secrets that the financial industry doesn’t want exposed, so I decided to educate people and share this information. 

I love photography; I have loved it since I had my first son. In our family I’m the one running around with my camera, capturing memories. I’m rarely in pictures, but I love to capture shots that speak a thousand words, making one feel as if they are a part of the scene, experiencing the photo with their senses. I am still learning, but photography is something I love to do. 

Decoration is another part of my life. I love to walk in a room and see what could be. 

I have a passion for cooking and entertaining. I never thought of myself as a good cook, it was just a thing I always did. Over the years I discovered that my cooking was welcomed by our friends and family. 

In my mind I’m always creating something. Whether reorganizing a room, giving advice about a family’s financial future, or experimenting with a new recipe, it’s the same for me. 

God is part of my life in everything I do. He made me the person I am and whenever I sit down to write, I start by praying. English is my second language and to be able to write I need God’s help on a daily basis. You might realize that as you read the articles on this website. 

When God called me to start the online bible community, I had all kind of excuses: that my English is not perfect, it’s not my mother tongue, I don’t want to bring shame on God with my imperfect writing skills. The truth is for almost a year I was putting off working on the website and then about a month ago, I had this urgency to stop procrastinating, stop finding excuses and just obey God’s calling. So if there are mistakes please forgive my grammar. I want to obey God and just share what he has done with my life, because I know he wants to do the same in yours. 

As I mentioned before I used to be proud, so maybe, just maybe this is the way God wants me to understand that when he calls us to do something, it’s not about how good we are, it’s about what he can do with and through our weaknesses. We have to give God all that we are and what we have, but all that we’re not and what we don’t have too. I used to think that God calls us to do things we’re good at, but I’ve learned that God often calls us to step out and do things we’re not confident and good at all. It’s not about us and our strength, it’s all about God and his greatness. 

In the Bible there are many examples of God using the weak and unqualified to show that it’s not about our strength but his strength. I learned that God is not looking for perfect people (I’m far from there), but God is looking for perfectly willing people. People who are willing to take a step of faith, people who are willing to step out and obey God even when it doesn’t make sense, or even when we think that there are others who are better qualified. 

As God uses this online Bible community to change people’s lives, it will have nothing to do with my talents or degrees, but only his Holy Spirit’s work. He receives all the glory, because I would never be the person who I am without God’s grace. My desire is to honor Him with all I do and say. 

This website is a venue for your contribution. I welcome your participation; please sign in as a member to access our study materials and interactive learning opportunities. Feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome. You can read my blog under the blog menu and if you enjoy my blog, please visit often, and leave your comments. You can subscribe to my blog and receive all my updates easily to your RSS readers or emails. If you have any comments or requests to improve this site, please feel free to pass them on.

Blessings,

Piri Darabont –

Work In Progress Online Bible Study