Understanding Your PurposeSýnishorn

As a child, I was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. I imagine the hope in this question was to help me dream, set goals, and eventually get on an inspired path to contributing positively to society. In essence, I was trained to define myself by a role in the future. If I could go back, I would tell little Andrew, “God has made you to be a loving, compassionate soul, with a heart that loves Him more than anything. Walk with Him and enjoy all that He allows you to do.” I think this is good advice.

In today’s world, it is rare for anyone to stay in one career for their adult life, so defining your purpose by a particular role simply does not make sense. Seeing your unique identity and relationship with God as your primary purpose in life will ground you, because it will never change.

Being who you were meant to be (your primary purpose), will help you excel in your secondary purpose (how you serve others), regardless of where, when, or what it is. This multi-leveled understanding of purpose fits God’s narrative throughout scripture. Let’s take King David for example. While he was chosen to be King, he was created to be David. God made him passionate, courageous, creative and musical. This helped him as a shepherd boy, a psalmist, a warrior, and a king. Before and throughout all these roles, he was the same person, a man after God’s own heart. God loved David, not because he was a King, but because he was His son.

You too have been created with great love and intention. God’s primary purpose for you is to know and love Him. His hand-picked traits make you perfectly suited for various roles throughout your life, all of which will edify the body of Christ.

Sometimes, we get to choose our roles, and other times God makes the choice perfectly clear, as He did with Jesus, driving Him into the wilderness (Matt 4), leading Him through Samaria to the woman at the well (John 4), and of course to the cross. Jesus fulfilled His secondary purpose by being obedient to His death on the cross, but remember He was first and foremost an obedient and loving son. We get to mature into the likeness of Christ.

A healthy definition of purpose is maturing in our calling, to be who God lovingly created us to be. When we believe that God made us intentionally and loves us personally, we can see the value we bring to the body of Christ, regardless of what role we play.

As you surrender, listen, and obey, I trust you will find roles to serve in today. But, know that you are valued with or without a particular role. May you serve with great confidence knowing that you are valuable to God, because of who you are and that you bring great value to the body of Christ, just by being you!