In this guest reflection, Joan Geralyne McGoon looks back on a season aboard the Logos Hope ship when quiet reflection, personality assessments and spiritual-gifts questions helped her see herself afresh. Her experience invites us to receive a new perspective without denying pain: to recognise God’s work, remember the gifts He has placed within us and consider how those gifts may serve others.
Joan and I attended the same all-girls school, and I have always found her inspiring. She was wonderfully herself—different in the best way—and she radiated a light that no person and no circumstance seemed able to quench or snuff out.
She means a great deal to me. Although I have not seen her for a long while, I hope sharing her posts here will preserve something of the connection we once had at school. I pray that God continues to move through her and guide her, and that He leads her back to these words so she can remember what He placed in her heart during that season.
Since Joan first published this reflection in 2013, God has continued writing new chapters in her life. Joan and George Wise married on 24 August 2025 in Lautoka, Fiji. Their own story says that they met after a ladies’ Bible study and later discovered how much they shared, including their love for God. Seeing this joyful chapter reminds me that the light I saw in Joan at school continues to shine. Read Joan and George’s story.
Written by Joan Geralyne McGoon and originally published on 6 January 2013. The first-person experience and reflections below are Joan’s; the presentation has been refreshed for clarity while preserving her message.
Why Write a Blog?
Why do people write blogs? Who reads them anyway, right?
Rachel Joy Scott wrote that she did not write for glory, fame or success, but “for the sake of my soul.”
So I write—even if no one dares to read. :)
A layered journal-and-horizon scene inspired by Joan’s writing and her time aboard Logos Hope.
Seeing Myself on Paper
After fifteen months on board the Logos Hope ship, we had a Get Perspective Seminar and Life Direction training seminar. We completed several personality assessments using excerpts from one of Tim LaHaye’s books.
It was amazing to see myself on paper. That is what it felt like. You can know yourself in your head and mind, but sometimes, when something is expressed externally—on paper or by someone who has observed you—you realise who you are again. I was blown away.
Sometimes God needs to remind us of who we are so that we can see who He is and all that He can do. During the intermissions, we had quiet reflection time to pray, journal and answer questions. That solitude was beautiful.
What the Assessments Reflected
My Natural Gifts — Top Four
- Artistic: Creator
- Conventional: Organiser
- Enterprising: Persuader
- Realistic: Doer
My Spiritual Gifts — Top Results
- Faith
- Wisdom and creative communication
- Helps, intercession and knowledge
Surprise! Surprise! :)
“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
Scripture does not give us a personality-test formula, but it does affirm that God works through a diversity of gifts, ministries and activities. A test may help us notice patterns; God remains the One who gives purpose and works through His people.
Renewing the Way We See
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”
A new perspective is not merely positive thinking. It can be part of allowing God to renew the way we see ourselves, our circumstances and the possibilities for faithful action.
Bethany Hamilton and a Wider View
When Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack at age thirteen, she wrestled with why God had allowed it. The story I remembered emphasised that her youth leader did not pretend to have every answer, but encouraged her to seek a new perspective.
Bethany later travelled to Thailand with World Vision after the tsunami. She helped children who had become afraid of the ocean return to the water. Her own account confirms that this journey took place in 2005, when she was fifteen (Bethany Hamilton, “A Replay of the Last 20 Years”).
That experience did not make the loss of her arm insignificant, and it did not make the losses suffered by Thai families small. It showed that grief and purpose can exist together. A new perspective can help us notice what remains, how another person’s story enlarges our compassion, and how God may still work through what we have.
A new perspective does not deny pain, force gratitude or compare wounds. It widens the frame. We can grieve honestly while also asking: What has God preserved? What gifts are still present? Whom can I serve? What faithful step is possible from where I stand today?
Questions for Quiet Reflection
- What has been occupying most of my attention lately?
- Is there a gift or strength God may be inviting me to notice again?
- Which assessment result feels accurate, and which one needs to be held more lightly?
- How might prayer, Scripture and trusted people help me see my situation more clearly?
- What loss needs to be honoured rather than hurried past?
- What small act of service could help me turn reflection into loving action?
A Prayer for Joan and Every Writer Remembering Their Calling
Heavenly Father, thank You for Joan, for the light she has carried and for the words she wrote during her journey. Please continue to move through her, guide her and remind her of the gifts and calling You placed within her. Lead her back to these reflections in Your perfect time, and let them become a living connection between past and present. For every reader who needs a new perspective, bring honest comfort, renewed understanding and one faithful next step. Help us see ourselves through Your grace and use what You have given us to love and serve others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Questions About Getting a New Perspective
Can a personality test tell me who God created me to be?
It can offer helpful observations, but it cannot define your whole identity or replace prayer, Scripture, wise counsel and experience. Treat the result as a conversation starter rather than a final verdict.
Does a new perspective mean I should stop grieving?
No. Biblical hope does not require denying loss. A healthier perspective makes room for grief while also helping us recognise God’s presence, remaining gifts, supportive people and possible next steps.
How can I begin when I feel spiritually or emotionally stuck?
Begin gently: create a little quiet, pray honestly, write what you are noticing, read a relevant passage in context and speak with someone trustworthy. The goal is not to force a dramatic answer but to become attentive to truth and the next faithful step.
Topics Covered: Getting a New Perspective, Joan Geralyne McGoon, guest devotional, Logos Hope, Christian writing, personality assessments, spiritual gifts, Romans 12:2, Bethany Hamilton, quiet reflection, prayer, purpose and service.
Very true!
ReplyDeleteSharing our testimonies through blogging is another way of reaching to those who love reading and others.
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