Personal Case Study

What About Now?

Taking Stock: A Personal Case Study

By Madelyn Dionne

An Invitation to Take Stock

When was the last time you stopped long enough to take an honest look at your life?

Not simply at what you've accomplished, what remains unfinished, or what you hope to do next, but at who you are becoming along the way.

Are you growing? Are your priorities where they should be? Is your work bearing fruit? Are your relationships reflecting the love of Christ? Are you becoming more like Him?

These are questions worth asking. And they deserve more than hurried answers.

Taking stock takes time. But the time we invest in an honest examination is part of what makes it worthwhile.

Some questions may be easy to answer. Others may require prayer, careful thought, and a willingness to recognize things about ourselves that need attention. We may discover reasons for gratitude and encouragement. We may also discover areas where change is needed.

Scripture encourages this kind of examination.

In Lamentations 3:40 (KJV), we read:

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

And in Galatians 6:4:

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

There is room here for examination, correction, and rejoicing.

I have undertaken this exercise myself, and I am sharing my experience with you.

You will see me answer questions about my purpose, my priorities, my work, my relationships, and my spiritual growth. You'll see where I recognize progress and where I acknowledge shortcomings. You'll also see some of my answers examined and challenged.

I'm sharing this personal case study so you can see what the process looks like.

My hope is that you will feel free to approach your own examination with the same openness and honesty, knowing that this is an opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow.

You may want to complete the accompanying questionnaire over several days. You may find that some answers deserve further thought after you've written them down.

Give yourself that time.

The purpose is to look carefully at where you are today, consider where you've been, and seek God's direction for what comes next.

Before You Begin

You may find it helpful to have a copy of the self-evaluation questionnaire beside you as you read this case study.

The questionnaire includes all 27 questions I answered, along with 12 additional questions to help you reflect on your own responses.

Print the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire

You can follow along with my examination now and complete your own whenever you're ready. Take your time. Thoughtful answers are worth the effort.

Part One: Examining My Life

I began with fifteen questions about purpose, pace, priorities, well-being, and faith.

Was I still doing this work for the reasons I had begun? Was I choosing my pace, or being driven by it? Could I leave things unfinished? Were the people closest to me receiving the attention I wanted to give them?

The questions were easy for me to answer—not because they were superficial, but because I had already been considering these matters in my daily life.

When asked whether my reasons for doing this work had changed, I wrote:

If anything, I am doing this for a stronger reason than before. I feel called more deeply to serve God in this way.

But perhaps the most revealing answer came when I was asked whether the work would still matter if the joy diminished:

Sometimes joy has diminished and yet I still want to do this work for the Lord.

That answer helped clarify an important distinction.

Joy accompanies my work. It is not the reason I do it.

I also examined my pace. I acknowledged feeling some drive, but recognized that I continue to choose this work gladly.

I have unfinished songs that may never be completed, and I can leave them that way. Some Christmas projects have begun falling away, and I am allowing them to go.

I considered my family relationships, my rest, and my peace of mind. I found reasons for gratitude, along with areas that deserve continued attention.

One answer, however, invited further examination.

I had written:

My ordinary life is not as useful as the work I do.

That raised another question: Am I giving proper value to the ordinary parts of life through which God also calls me to love and serve?

Taking stock requires a willingness to consider questions like that, even when the answers are less comfortable.

Considering My Ways

In Haggai 1:5 (KJV), God tells His people:

Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

The instruction is simple, but searching.

It asks us to examine how we are living and where our attention is directed.

For me, that meant considering whether my commitments reflected my priorities, whether I was allowing room for ordinary life, and whether I remained free to change direction when necessary.

The examination encouraged me. It also gave me things to keep watching.

Part Two: Examining the Work

As useful as those first fifteen questions were, I realized something was missing.

I had examined how I was doing, but I had not fully examined what was happening through the work—or what was happening within me as I did it.

Was the quality improving?

Was the work relevant to the needs of others?

Was it bearing fruit?

Was I acting in a Christlike manner?

Was I becoming more like Him?

These questions led to a second examination, this time of the work and the worker.

Is the Quality Improving?

As a songwriter, I can identify changes in my writing.

My lyrics have become more restrained. I am making more deliberate decisions about imagery, structure, and individual words. I am learning to sustain an image across an entire song rather than allowing it to wander.

I also recognize a tendency toward excess. Sometimes I still need to remove what doesn't serve the song.

And sometimes I deliberately keep an unconventional turn of phrase because it asks the listener to pause for just an instant.

One development is especially important to me.

My writing has become more porous—more open to allowing listeners to step inside a song and recognize something of themselves.

These observations give me specific things to examine as I continue to learn.

I also seek critique. I don't always enjoy receiving it, but I recognize its value. I am willing to make changes when they strengthen the work, while retaining choices I believe have a purpose.

Colossians 3:23 (KJV) reminds me:

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

For me, that includes continuing to develop the abilities I have been given.

Is the Work Bearing Fruit?

This question requires more than counting songs, plays, or website visits.

Those numbers can tell me whether the work is reaching people. They cannot, by themselves, tell me what difference it makes in their lives.

I receive ordinary compliments, and I appreciate them. But occasionally a listener shares something more personal: that a song spoke to an experience, brought encouragement, or made a difference.

Those responses matter to me.

My Songs With Grace website is still young, but people are using it. Ministry workers have also begun asking me to create music for specific purposes.

I see these as encouraging signs that the work is finding places where it can serve.

At the same time, I want to distinguish evidence of reach from evidence of spiritual fruitfulness. Some effects may be visible, while others may never be known to me.

Jesus said in John 15:5 (KJV):

He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

That brings the question of fruitfulness back to its source.

Proving My Own Work

Galatians 6:4 (KJV) says:

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

This verse speaks directly to the examination I undertook.

I can look at my work, consider its quality, examine the evidence of its usefulness, and recognize where growth has occurred.

I can also identify weaknesses and make changes.

And there is room for rejoicing in what has been accomplished.

Part Three: Examining the Worker

This may be the most searching part of the entire examination.

It is possible to become more skilled at something while remaining unchanged in character.

So I asked myself whether I was becoming more patient, compassionate, humble, and willing to serve.

I believe I am growing. I am more willing to be open and vulnerable with others, and more ready to offer what I have in service.

But I also recognize my impatience. I can be prickly, particularly when I am frustrated.

When asked whether my responses to criticism or misunderstanding reflect Christ's example, I answered:

I am not like Christ yet. But I think I am better able to respond more like Christ than before.

That answer matters because it acknowledges both progress and the need for further growth.

Galatians 5:22–23 (KJV) describes the fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

These are qualities I want to see increasingly reflected in my life—not simply in the songs I write.

Becoming More Like Christ

When I considered how I had changed over the past year, I wrote that I had become more prayerful, more attentive to the Spirit's direction, and more deliberate in my ministry.

I also recognized a greater willingness to serve others without expecting recognition or reward.

These are changes I believe I can identify in my life.

But the examination also reminded me that growth in character deserves the same attention I give to growth in my craft.

The quality of the work matters.

The fruit of the work matters.

And the character of the person doing the work matters.

What Did I Learn?

I didn't finish these questions with a startling revelation.

I had been aware of these matters already. My answers came readily because they reflected how I feel and what I consider in my daily life.

But putting them into words served a purpose.

It allowed me to look at the whole picture.

I could recognize the strength of my sense of calling while acknowledging areas that need attention.

I could identify growth in my writing without assuming that every choice I make is successful.

I could appreciate encouraging responses to my work without treating recognition as the measure of faithfulness.

And I could recognize progress in my conduct while remembering how much I still have to learn from Christ's example.

The examination brought my attention to purpose, faithfulness, fruitfulness, and growth.

I remain grateful for the joy I experience in this work. But I also want to remain attentive to what God is doing through the work—and in me.

What About You?

Perhaps you are in a season of great activity.

Perhaps you are waiting for direction, reconsidering your priorities, or wondering whether your efforts are making a difference.

Wherever you are, there is value in taking stock.

Not simply asking whether you are happy or productive, but considering how you are living, what your actions reveal, and whether you are growing in Christ.

Psalm 139:23–24 (KJV) gives us a prayer for this examination:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Your Own Self-Evaluation

I've included a printable What About Now? Personal Self-Evaluation with this study.

It contains 27 questions covering purpose, pace, priorities, well-being, faith, quality of work, fruitfulness, conduct, and spiritual maturity.

Twelve additional reflection questions invite you to look back over your answers, identify patterns, and consider what may need attention.

This is an opportunity for honest, prayerful reflection.

You don't need to finish it in one sitting. Take the time you need. Consider specific examples that support your answers. You may find it helpful to return to the questionnaire months from now and see what has changed.

If you would find it helpful to talk through your answers, consider sharing them with a trusted pastor, small group leader, Bible study leader, counselor, or mentor. Another perspective may help you recognize growth, identify areas needing attention, and consider your next steps.

Your answers are yours to keep or share as you choose.

The question isn't only where you've been or where you hope to go. It's also what is happening in your life right now.

What about now?

Print the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire