More to Life

It is in our human nature to seek out our own personal purpose in our lives. We try to find how we fit into the so called “puzzle of life”. If you have ever done a puzzle then you would know how frustrating it can get when the piece just won’t fit and you can’t find the right one that will. We try to find our place for our “piece” of purpose in our jobs, in our homes, in our group of friends. It can be so rewarding when we find the right piece for the puzzle but it can also be so frustrating when we can’t. Have you ever felt like you couldn’t find the right way to fit yourself into the puzzle of life? Like you just can’t seem to find your purpose, or you maybe feel you know what your purpose is but it doesn’t feel fulfilling. You are not alone in feeling this way. In fact we are all looking for a way to bring purpose into our lives that is both fulfilling and rewarding to our spirit.  Where do we look for the answer to our purpose in life? Where do you go to seek out the knowledge relating to this thought? I believe the answer to this deep question is rooted in looking in two places at the same time. We often try to look in just one place and not the other and because of this we are starving ourselves of the knowledge we can gain from both places of answers. For the answer to be found, both places you look need to work in tandem or together to really answer you.

The first place can be the simplest and the most frustrating at the same time.  It is simple because the place is looking at yourself through inward reflection.  It is by diving into our own lives and looking at what we feel passionately about or what gifts we feel we have that we can start to build an idea of the purpose and path we want our lives to take. This place of looking can also feel so frustrating at times because we are such critics of ourselves that we can refuse to allow ourselves to see the gifts we have been given. Seeking out the answer in this place requires us to cast aside any preconceived ideas we have of ourselves.  There is a movie from my childhood that is a perfect example of someone refusing to see the purpose of their life because of his own worry. A young cub was supposed to become the king of pride rock but after his father’s death he was afraid of what the others would see him as since the death was partly his fault so instead he ran away.  As he grew up one night he is met by a baboon that takes him to a pond and asks him to look and tell him what he sees. Rafeeke says to Simba after Simba just sees himself and his worry “look harder” as he dug deeper he saw his father and the gift of leadership that he had. Don’t stop yourself from allowing to open up to your gifts and what you feel passionately about.

• • • • “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

To create a foundation of purpose solely based on how you feel can lead to confusion down the road and that is exactly why it is so important to also look for the answer to purpose in two places. So without further ado, what is the second place to look? The second place to look is in something solid, something that doesn’t change, that is unwavering.  What is something you know of that is never changing? That throughout history has remained the same. If the first place we look is within ourselves for what purpose is and we are getting confused by the constant change and struggling to see the answers within then we need something solid to hold onto. Have you ever seen a real sailing ship? They are absolutely massive but in the ocean during a storm they can all too easily be tossed around. Take that same ship though and dock it in the pier with a big rope and put it in that same storm. The difference is now that it is anchored it can weather that same storm but with the support from the solid pier it is safe.  How many times have you tried to weather the storm to find purpose and got tossed around? Seek the solid rock in a relationship with the unwavering God. Be reminded in his words of his power and strength. It can be difficult to seek comfort in him because it requires complete trust and faith and that only comes through vulnerability. I know how scary it can be to be vulnerable but recognize in his word what he says about weakness and being vulnerable.

 

• • • • “He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

When you find him and asked him into your life to be a solid rock and refuge you will find just were your piece is supposed to go. I pray when you do look here that you will find your purpose through him.

 

• • • • “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”  -Jeramiah 29:11-14

 

It would be foolish to say that our purpose never changes and once we have found it there is no other purpose for us once that one is fulfilled. What I will say is that if we feel it changing, look for answers in both yourself and your relationship with God. By looking on both places we allow ourselves to remain open to what he may be trying to show us is next in our lives.

If we try to search for the answer in just one of the places without looking in the other we leave ourselves thirsty for the rest of the answer. We leave ourselves either trying to figure it out in the constant change of our own emotions without a solid rock or we end up refusing to open ourselves up enough to allow the solid rock to bless us. You have to be able to find the answer in both places of your life to really feel fulfilled in the answer you find.