All night I have been thinking about
purpose. What is purpose to you? To me the most basic way to define purpose is
as the very thing that gives meaning to life or that which we were created to
do! While many of us may share this perspective on purpose the lines of
demarcation become established when we consider what our purpose is and even
how our purpose will be accomplished.
Do you already know your purpose? Many
might answer with a resounding, "Yes!", while others will admit that
they are still seeking it out. Maybe you have come to define your purpose
through your career or through your family or through even your hopes and
desires. This seems only logical right since popular literature usually advises
that to find purpose we ought to look within ourselves. I want to add a
dimension to your deliberations on purpose and that is the God sphere.
We often ignore this area because quite
often it may be in direct conflict with the things that we may desire or the
things that make us 'happy'. Maybe your preoccupation with your career or
traveling the world makes you happy but is truly a distraction from what God is
calling you to do and to be at this very point in your life. Purpose has its
challenges and if we want to realize our God given purpose we actually
have to turn our eyes away from ourselves and place them squarely on God. Yes I
must concede that some of your dreams and aspirations may be directly connected
to your purpose but there are also instances where they are not.
Photo by Dreamstime
Photo by Dreamstime
Purpose is profound and may even seem a
bit complex! I know by now you are asking, "How will I know my
purpose?" To believe you are created by God is to believe that there is
purpose in you; that there is some higher calling on your life that was framed
outside of you and is therefore not always to be found by looking just within
you. When you want to know your purpose you need to ask God, your Creator to
reveal to you the reason you were made.
Some people will stop reading at this
point because they feel they do not want to be bothered by something that may
disrupt their plans for their lives or the direction their lives have taken up
to this point. Still there are others who might feel a little overwhelmed and
even disappointed that they must seek an 'outside' Source to have their purpose
revealed. Then there are still some who will recognize the authorship of God in
their lives and who will recognize that to truly actualize as God's creation is
to, through the help of our Creator, do exactly what we were born to do. Which
one are you? How you view your purpose will impact whether you live out your
God crafted role or not. If we truly believe that which we often confess with
our mouths; that God's plan for us is to only prosper us and not to harm
us then we will find that we can rest in His plan knowing that His divine purpose of our lives is what is the best of everything for our us.
As 2012 draws to a close it isn't too
late to ask God to not simply reveal our purpose but to set us back on track
(if we had gone off course) or to put us on the track to our divine purpose; a
purpose that is bigger and greater than the limitations of our human capabilities and objectives.
I don't know about you but just the
thought that God designed me with a purpose in mind for my life, that He chose
my parents so I could look the way He wanted me to look, that He has been
transforming my missteps and even disobedience as learning experiences so that
I can bounce back from them instead of condemning me, makes me want to be who
He wants me to be! (side note) While saying that I can only think about things that
must be sacrificed, forgotten, changed etc. if I am going to be who God has called
me to be. Purpose requires obedience, discipline, faith and sacrifice.
What cost have you had to pay to honor God's purpose for your life?
Look at these passages:
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are God's handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God created in advance for us
to do"
Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His
purpose"
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you
hope and a future"
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Until next time,
EJ
You know Liz, it's funny you have were thinking about purpose 'round about the same time that I was. I was thinking recently of how much I want 2013 to be a year of purpose fulfillment. I always wonder what is the point of just being here and not fulfilling the purpose that God placed me here for. I sometimes get frustrated cause I fall into the category of "still seeking it out".
ReplyDeleteI trust God and I know He has plans for me, but what are they really!? In reading your post, I realize that maybe sometimes God is revealing our purpose to us, but we may shut it down because it doesn't necessarily line up with what we want for ourselves. We like to think that God would never want something for us unless it would make us 'happy'. However, that is often times the contrary. As you rightfully stated "Purpose requires obedience, discipline, faith and sacrifice." Purpose will in most cases require us to step outside of our comfort zones. What cost have I had to pay to honor God's purpose for my life? I don't know yet and though a bit scared to find out, I really do still want to.
Thank God you are still seeking it out! It suggests that you are committed to finding it and you will because remember God is a rewards people who diligently seem Him and His ways:) By the way here is something to consider, just because you are not totally sure about what your purpose is does not mean that you haven't already been walking in it or doing things that are connected to your purpose.
DeleteYes, many of us are afraid of purpose because it may not be comfortable for us and it may not seem like something that we would be readily happy with but this is when we really must surrender (I am speaking to myself as I type these words to you) to God if we truly believe He is our creator, that He knows best and that He loves us. I am certain that the closer we draw to Him through our obedience is the more we will begin to desire and find gladness in the things He wants for us:) Seek out your purpose in spite of your fear. God already knows exactly what you need and will provide...
As usual Monique, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me...God bless!