Finding And Living Out Your Purposeናሙና

Misconceptions About Purpose 

Purpose is defined commonly as the reason for something or someone’s existence. Most people are usually on the lookout for their life’s purpose and in so doing many have wandered off track and lost themselves.  To avoid making this error, we must figure out what purpose is not.

1. Purpose is not solely about significance

In John 15, Jesus speaks of him being the vine and we being the branches. He tells his disciples that unless they abide in Him they can do nothing. It is very clear, therefore, that without our identity being hidden in Christ we can do literally nothing. Our purpose, therefore, doesn’t give us significance, only our identity in Christ does.

1. Purpose is not something we have to strive for

The psalmist in Psalm 37 speaks of how God will give us the desires of our heart if we would delight in Him.  The understanding then is that if we would seek him and intentionally lean into Him we would receive our heart’s desires. Very often our purpose is in line with what we desire or what we are deeply passionate about. 

It’s often assumed that to be purpose-filled we must be constantly doing something;  if not, we could be labeled idle and lazy. The fact is, that many times purpose is unearthed and discovered during times of rest and recovery because it's in those quiet times that God has our complete and undivided attention. Like the psalmist confidently declares that the “Lord will fulfill his purposes for me” may we trust God to carry out His plans for our lives.

2. Purpose is not stationary throughout one’s life

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus of how they were created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God had prepared in advance for them to do. It doesn’t mention a single good work but good works which would mean that our purposes are ever-evolving and growing with us. As we grow older, we find that the purposes of our lives get more fine-tuned and begin to include newer things that are relevant to that time of history. As in Queen Esther’s life, God used her for “such a time as this” which means if we are willing, God will keep hand-crafting His purposes for us in His sovereign, well-intentioned way. 

Prayer: 

Lord, I pray that I will find my identity in you, that I will seek your face at all times and that I will entrust all my life and my plans into your able hands and trust you to fulfill your plans for me in your perfect time and way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.