Finding Purpose
We are all searching for a sense of purpose. We want our efforts to be worth something. Unfortunately, that can often leave women exhausted and over-committed. Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate.
“You are overwhelmed,” my husband said to me. “You can do a lot of things, but you can’t do everything!” I had over-committed myself once again. He was right. I had let my interest sway towards so many things and lost my sense of purpose. Opportunity had become more important than following God. I prayerfully committed my day to sorting out my purpose and what I found was peace, fulfillment, and the time to do it all.
When I think of “purpose”,my first thought is my boys arguing. I eventually will ask the question,“Was it on accident or on purpose?” If it was on purpose,it was intentional,however,on accident implied that it was a haphazard reaction and perhaps by chance. I don’t know about you,but the thought of living “accidentally” sounds like chaos! I want to live with purpose,engaging life thoughtfully of why I am living it. But how do you find purpose? Contrary to the thought that God has hidden it, He has revealed it to each of us already and specifically to you.
The entirety of scripture is about our purpose. From beginning to end it describes the journey of God’s people knowing Him,leaving in search of something “better”,and then returning once experiencing His immeasurable love. The life of Jesus is the first step in understanding our purpose. It involves embracing “God with Us” as he experienced humanity in a way we cannot overlook. Jesus lived,breathed,and felt everything we could ever feel convincing us of His ability to “know us”. He loved in a way that changed our perception of serving. And let us not forget that his death enables us to approach the Father,as we are,and have grace and forgiveness instead of shame. Our purpose is simple,my friends,we are asked to be as much like Christ as humanly possible;to love,serve,and follow God. Jesus,in his resurrection,made it possible to strengthen us to do it all. We were not created to succeed on our own,thus,my over-committed chaotic life to this point. We needed a savior. Unfortunately,the enemy would like nothing more than to convince us we don’t have a purpose to live for. He is an expert at confusing scripture and getting you to question if God might be holding back something from you. Satan used this exact technique to tempt Jesus of his own purpose in the wilderness and even while vulnerable,Jesus quoted scripture back.
My purpose was simple: To become like Christ,to focus my efforts on bringing the truth of God into darkness,and serve with a community who longs to do the same. Once I understood the frame around which all my decisions would be made,I was able to write out my mission statements for each area of my life.
Your mission is the way in which you will live out your purpose. For example,I divided my life into priorities:Devotion for God,taking care of myself,my family,my work and my community. I then defined my mission for each of those areas (i.e. for family: To offer my best to my family before giving to others by serving my husband,investing in my children,and guarding my family’s time and resources.)
Do not be confused,sisters;your purpose has already been revealed to you! God desires to love you and give you the strength to live your life with passion.Wait upon the Lord,ask that he refine you and instill a strong sense of your purpose as clearly stated in His Word. Write it out,and the issue will not be “why haven’t I found my purpose” but will be to live confidently on purpose,with a mission,and know exactly why.
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