Purpose is found in passion
Courtesy of blogitlikeyoumeanit.com
The new year is just around the corner. Christmas is almost here. I love this time of year. My thoughts are drawn to what is truly important… family, friends, and my Savior. Not necessarily in that order either. I’m leaving for vacation soon and thought I should put up a post for the month. Before I get into the topic mentioned in the title of this article, I just want to encourage you to allow yourself the opportunity to remember what this season is about. It’s so easy and automatic to block out all the Christmas stuff because it’s so commercialized, but there really is a reason behind all the hoop-la. If you aren’t a fan of this little baby they call the Messiah… well, good luck with that. I figure, if I’m wrong… so what. If you’re wrong… sucks to be you. But in all seriousness, if you have questions or doubts, earnestly seek God and he will show up. Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope you enjoy the rest of the post.
Moving on, I had a wonderful conversation today with a good friend of mine whom I have known for many years. We started discussing purpose. Purpose is an interesting word. Many people claim that they believe everybody has a purpose, but when pressed for theirs, the majority of people can’t tell you with any reasonable certainty what they believe their specific purpose is. It has different names. Purpose, destiny, calling, or an anointing, but they all basically point to the same thing. At some point, everybody asks the question of all questions of themselves. What is my purpose or what is the meaning of (my) life. It’s the classic search for significance. Unfortunately, sometimes people go years and even their entire lives without finding an inner peace to this question.
There are a few commonalities that show up in a person’s intellectual search. The first time this question comes up, people typically find a quick (yet challenging) answer and pursue it. This is the first stage. The may decide it is money, helping people, family, faith, success, or a variety of other things. They will then pursue this activity for a period of time. But eventually the question comes up again because it was never really wrestled with to begin with- it was only answered on a superficial level…. BUT the person never really answered this question… “what is the purpose of MY life? What am I designed for?” This is the same question as ‘what is my purpose?’ but it’s also very different than ‘what is MY purpose?’ The emphasis on “my” makes all the difference.
By emphasizing a person’s specific bent it becomes easier to focus and define a particular person’s purpose. For example, I know my purpose is to help people. The obvious response to that though is “so what?… lot’s of people think their purpose is to help people.” The true question of significance cannot be identified until a person takes time to really look at what they are naturally suited for. Before reading too much more, you must understand that what I’m about to outline stems a lot from my faith. When I struggle with these questions I turn to my God and my Bible. So that being said, if you come from a similar belief system you should find this blog post a useful guide. If you don’t come to the table with the same beliefs, I encourage you to test it, think about it, use what you can, and discard what you wish.
Here are a few tips for identifying and understanding purpose.
#1) There is not a mystical pill for figuring out your purpose or destiny. There’s not a seven step plan or pattern. You could probably find one online, but that’s only because you can find anything online. Identifying, understanding, and developing your purpose will take a lifetime and it will evolve as you do.
#2) Please understand that passion is the number one clue to your purpose. Yes you were created. But the word created is used so flippantly. I like the word designed better. You were designed with a purpose in mind. Those deep seeded passions and desires you have within you that seem to draw you to them were placed there by God to help fulfill the purpose he has for you. If you are passionate about something- pray for guidance and start moving in that direction. If you aren’t a believer I still encourage you to pray to God for guidance because if God doesn’t exist, he won’t move on you behalf… but if he does, maybe he’ll surprise you! Anyway, your inner desires are there by design, not by accident! God knew you would be drawn to whatever it is that draws you because he planted that desire in your heart before you were born- that is, when he designed you.
#3) God will give you a mountain to climb. When you really tap into your purpose, your dream will probably be much bigger than what you could currently see yourself accomplishing. It will look like a mountain. You’ll feel challenged by the thought of scaling it, but at the same time you will have an insatiable desire to commit to climbing to the peak. In fact, you won’t be sure whether you can scale it or not- but the thought of trying will excite you! When you have that feeling within you, you have found your mountain. God has given you this mountain. Others may even think it’s a lofty or unreasonable thing for you to want to climb the mountain… forget them. It’s not their mountain. It’s your mountain. God has given you this mountain. Of course it’s big. It’s supposed to be. It will always be something you can’t accomplish on your own because your destiny is meant to do two things- cause growth and bring you closer to God. If your mountain wasn’t bigger than you, you would never challenge yourself and grow because you wouldn’t need to. You would also never be seeking God because you would have it under control. But it is when we feel inadequate that we seek God out first, so your purpose will naturally draw you closer to God as you try to accomplish it.
Pray for guidance. Keep these things in mind and begin to listen for what excites you. It’s never to late to begin something that should have started long ago. Find your mountain, resolve to finish what you start, take a big breath, and start climbing! Merry CHRIST-mas and a happy new year!
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