PURPOSE
Why do you wake up in the morning? Is it for your significant other? Your children? Your other family members? To cultivate friendships? To pursue a career? To learn? To work on a passion or hobby? To care for pets?
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Think of the number one reason(s) why you wake up.
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Now, imagine that those things are gone. They have disappeared, or you never had them. Imagine you are clueless as to why you are here, or what your purpose is. What’s left?
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What’s left is the one place where we can find our true purpose: in the arms of our Abba, our Savior, our King: Jesus.
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In this fallen world, it is easy for us to get caught up in the ways of it. However, Romans 12:2 reminds us “to no longer conform to the pattern of this world.” In our society, people often define themselves by their careers, romantic relationships, parenthood, creative pursuits, or many other earthly aspects. But that’s not what we are designed for.
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We are designed to have an intimate relationship with the Lord. We wake up in the morning to be one thing, and one thing only: a child of the King.
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Sometimes, to help us realize this, God lets us lose sight of the other aspects of lives by which we might define ourselves. When we understand that He is the only eternal purpose, our very reason for existence, we can start to grasp our life’s meaning.
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Stemming from this, God might then call us to different vocations. But these vocations are not always shaped as the world sees them. A vocation isn’t always a career or a clear-cut path to marriage and parenthood. In Jesus, we are called to be lights of the world (Mt. 5:16), and the Holy Spirit fills each of us with a unique light that no one else can reproduce.
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Sometimes, this light shines via career paths or parenthood, but sometimes it shines as friendship or service to family members or even service to strangers. Sometimes, your love for the people in your life sustains them in ways you could not imagine. Because you were placed by God as a blessing to them, a blessing that they cling to, and a blessing from which they might derive their own purpose. Your love might be a huge part of what makes them feel worthy of life.
You are significant.
Sometimes, you might not even be aware of how your light is chasing away the shadows of others, but by living as a child of the King, you can be confident of the fact that you’re making a wonderful impact in the world, and that your purpose is fulfilled.
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So, how do we live for God, as children of the king?
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Go back to the basics: remember that God is the reason you’re here and that nothing else matters as much as that. He breathes life into us (Gen. 2:7), forgives our sins (1 Jn. 1:9) and dwells within us (1Cor. 6:19). In return, we love and serve him all our days, which only results in our own internal joy.
Remember that God is our rock (Ps. 18:2). This means that with him, we cannot be moved. Therefore, if our careers don’t work out, or our human relationships suffer, or our creative pursuits die, we are still okay. Because we don’t find our purpose in those things. We find it in God, and in him we are completely whole. Everything else is just extra blessing that he bestows upon us.
Pray. Every day. All the time. Ask for God’s guidance on where he wants to take you in life, for “the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him” (Deut. 4:7).
Wait. God’s timetable is perfect, even if our desires don’t reflect that. Waiting can often be frustrating, but we must trust that if we live for God, He is providing us with what we need when we actually need it, and not when we think we need it.
Obey. The Bible is rife with stories of how Israel only saw success when they obeyed God. Numbers 9:23 also illustrates this. “At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out.” Are you allowing God to direct your steps? Are you prompted for His command? If we ask for guidance, we must then accept our path and walk forth where God leads. Once God gives us the green light, we must GO!
Serve & love. Regardless of what path God sets us on, he always calls us all to love and serve others. If you don’t know what else to do, starting here is more than sufficient. In fact, it is a divine intention.
Remember, you are loved, and the very fact that the Creator of this world loves you gives your life significant meaning. No one is futile. So, if you are looking for your purpose, if you’re wondering why you’re here…look up.