God has been teaching me about purpose and what it
means for my life and I think it applies to all of us. I would love to
encourage you by sharing some of that journey today...
Over the course
of my Christian walk, I have listened to plenty of sermons on purpose: finding
your purpose, the purpose driven life, living out your purpose, etc. I thought
I had it all figured out. I knew what it meant to have purpose, I knew God
created us for a purpose and I thought I knew what my purpose was. I was in
college in this season of my life, bright eyed and bushy tailed, dreaming
dreams of dreamers.
That’s right I
had a plan! Oh yes! I was going to graduate earning my Master’s degree, get
married, become a school social worker and live happily ever after. I was
certain I knew my purpose and that was to be a social worker. This was my
calling and my ministry. And in my young girl mind, it was set in stone. Looking back now I can hear a sweet southern
voice chime out, “Well, bless her heart!” (You know how they say that in the
South when they feel pity for someone else... That is what I would have said to
me back then!)
You see
somewhere along the way I caught on to the notion that you have only one
purpose and you have to find that purpose then live it out. For some, this
rings true! But for me it wasn’t that simple. For me, each turn of rejection
meant I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose. Each dead end social work job felt like
failure. It didn’t take long for me to walk around looking defeated and feeling
frustrated. I begin to feel like I got it all wrong. Like I heard God wrong,
maybe social work wasn’t my purpose at all?!
Have you been
there? Have you felt the heavy weight of lies that scream failure?
God says:
“For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Seven
years later, I am still not a school social worker but I can assure you I am
fulfilling my purpose. We all go through seasons and God appoints a time for
everything…
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for
every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant
and a time to uproot,
a time to kill
and a time to heal,
a time to tear
down and a time to build,
a time to weep
and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn
and a time to dance,
a time to
scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to
embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search
and a time to give up,
a time to keep
and a time to throw away,
a time to tear
and a time to mend,
a time to be
silent and a time to speak,
a time to love
and a time to hate,
a time for war
and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes
3:1-8 (NIV)
A
time for everything.
Recently
I was having a particularly rough day, I felt high strung, frazzled and was
losing focus. There was an event for work that evening and I was all out of
sorts. I drove home to pick up a few items and change for the event. While at
home I tried to regain focus. I didn’t want to show up at the event with my
grumpy face on, so I prayed. I got back in the car and turned up the worship
music, when I was reminded of a quote I had seen earlier in the week…
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| Photo courtesy of Daystar |
And
so I asked God, “What is my purpose here tonight, Father?” He answered in three
simple words “Grace, joy, light.” I repeated His answer all the way back to
work. Grace, Joy, Light. My purpose
that night, for that event, for those people, was to pour out God’s grace, walk
in His joy and to be His light. I asked, God answered, and He set my heart
right.
That
night God showed me that maybe I didn’t need to follow and pursue only one purpose, but many. He showed me that in this season, my purpose can be different
each day and for each moment. Now, I wake up every morning and ask God, “What
is my purpose for this day?” Because if I can walk out my purpose each day,
then I go with confidence. Rather than continue to question my purpose, God has
shown me to trust Him for my purpose.
The
Word tells us that God’s purpose prevails. Our purpose is living, breathing,
and transforming to fulfill God’s purpose.
For some, it is that one thing. For
others, like me, it is the daily asking of God how He can use me. Social work
may have been my purpose for a season, it brought me to right now, right where
I am supposed to be. Each step of this journey was appointed and not in vain.
“Many are the plans in man’s heart, but
it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
Do
you wrestle with figuring out your purpose? Ask God how He can use you today.
Ask Him to reveal what His purpose is for you right where you are and at this
very moment. You may be surprised with God’s answer…
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by: Jimmie Lee
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