Purpose: The Quest of a Lifetime

Purpose. A very popular word in today's vernacular. What is it? Do I need one? How do I find mine? Our purpose is as individual and unique as each one of us is. Like two snowflakes, no two are alike. Although I cannot pinpoint what your specific purpose entails, what I can tell you, with complete certainty, is that God is at the center of it. Every single thing God does is created with purpose as the primary building block. God doesn’t waste time with anything or anyone. However, He is patient. He takes His time to allow us to discover ourselves and our gifts that are hidden in the depths of our hearts. He allows us the opportunity to discover who He is in our lives. God shows us different facets of His love as we traverse the journey of our lives. In fact, I would go so far as to say that one of the primary ways that God shows His love for us is through His patience. He gives us the gift of time to “figure things out.” He gives us the gift of time to “find ourselves.” He gives us the gift of time to “get to know Him.” In a world where everything has words such as express, fast, and instant attached to them, the gift of time and patience are invaluable.

2 Peter 3:9 says it this way, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you—not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” To me, this verse sums up our purpose in life. Our purpose is to come to a place in our lives where we recognize that without Him we cannot fulfill what we were destined to do and be. Our purpose is to know Him. The job, career, ministry, mission, etc, that we accomplish in life is simply the vehicle that God chooses to use while we weave through our journey on Earth discovering God in the center of it all. In actuality, the destination or goal, isn’t the most important part. The most important part is found in our journey. God is not so much focused on you accomplishing your goal as He is in you finding Him in the midst of it and learning about yourself in the process. Why is reaching the mountain top so important? It is because when you do, you are able to look down and see everything you have accomplished, conquered and learned about yourself in the process of getting there! It is in that journey that God is found, waiting for you so patiently to come to Him.

As a parent then, the question one has to asks oneself then is, “How do I instill this concept in my child?” In a world where competition and being first seem to be all that matters, how do I teach my child how unique they are and how important their relationship with God is? I think we can begin answering this question by teaching our children that marching to the beat of their own drum is a good thing. Teaching our kids that their only real competition is with who they were yesterday and striving to be better today is the goal. The Word tells us that “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until the full day.” (Proverbs 4:18) Our purpose is that full day and each step we take in learning about Him and who He is in our lives makes our path straight. Let us strive to show our children, through our example, just how far God can take us when we trust in Him and make it our life’s mission to know Him.

If you find yourself at a point in your life where your journey has seen fit to add someone to it, be it a wife or a husband, what a blessing that is! If you find yourself at a point in your life where your journey has seen fit to add a child to it, what a blessing it is indeed!!! Awesomely Distinguished is a book that helps both mother and baby to enjoy the journey of laying the foundation to discover their purpose in God. I invite you to get your copy today!