Focused, Purposeful, Bold a 5-Day Plan by Candace GraySýnishorn

Live On Purpose!

Are you clear on your purpose? There have been many seasons when I struggled to clearly understand mine. I thought defining your purpose was a one-and-done event, and once you defined it, you never needed to question it again. I expected to fulfill my purpose in a predictable, logical sequence of events. When that didn’t happen, I felt confused, frustrated, and stuck.

It’s been said that defining your purpose is a matter of answering the question: why do I exist? But that’s a weighty question for a finite human being. The truth is that God does not reveal the entirety of His plans and purposes for us at any one point in time. God is multilayered and complex, and He designs us that way as well. To narrow purpose to our own understanding based on one point in time can be way too limiting. Instead, the best way to understand purpose is in seasons. I now have a simplified definition of purpose: it’s how do I make life better for others. While there are common threads throughout my life, my expressions of purpose have looked very different in various seasons and situations.

You may be in a season where you work full-time on an admirable cause, or you may be dreaming about something you would like to do. You may even be in a vocation that doesn’t seem meaningful, or you may be in a season as a full-time parent or caregiver. As long as you are serving others by applying your God-given mix of gifts, skills, and experiences to a situation, you are living purposefully and bringing glory to God. As you simplify the concept of purpose, you will be able to see the wide variety of ways God shows Himself to others through you.

Live on purpose daily, but don’t overcomplicate the matter. God has created you to do good works, and He will continue to reveal the next chapter to you. Identify how you can make a difference in the season you are in and leave the rest to God.

Questions for Reflection

• In what ways have you struggled to define your purpose?
• What simple ways do you make life better in your current season?