But what is my purpose? What if I am not doing the right thing? What if I am meant to be somewhere else? What if this isn’t Gods’ plan for me?
You are not alone in your panic.
I’ve grappled a lot with the question of purpose. It used to be debilitating, I was trapped in over-analysis paralysis always hestiating from following through for lack of certainty.
One day, I sat down with a pen and paper on an endeavour to figure it out once and for all. As if the answer was going to magically be produced from within me. I found myself writing down the question: “What am I passionate about?”. Immediately, I realised that passion and purpose are not necessarily related nor is it always wise to follow your passions.
God was nudging me to go a little deeper than fleeting interests and passions. Nudging me to find my purpose in Him instead.
The Problem with Passion
If you are using your passions as your guiding star towards purpose, then you are missing the point slightly.
While it is true that God will put certain missions on our hearts and build up our desires to align with his purpose (hallelujah btw), it is important that we are being led by God and not by our own hearts.
The Bible calls us to put away our worldly passions and seek God instead. Because the problem with looking within to find purpose is that you are drawing on yourself and pursuing whatever your heart desires at the time. And if there is one thing I’ve learnt, it is that relying on your own strength and understanding is limited and will more often leave you falling short.
We all know our interests can change with the wind, mine certainly have. What I thought I was passionate about 2 years ago is certainly not the same as today. What’s worse, these desires were often rooted in selfish gain and idolatry of money – Yikes!
Thankfully, anything from God can be depended on because He is reliable. So instead of trying to ascertain my purpose from my human passions, instead I began seeking my purpose from God.
This was a step in the right direction but it didn’t fix my panicked mind completely. Now I was racked with thoughts like:
- I don’t know how to hear from God?
- What if I’m walking the wrong path??
- How do I know what God is calling me to do???
- What if I misunderstand and accidently lead myself astray????
- I don’t know what I’m good at, how can I know what I’m meant to be doing.
Ok sis first up, stop depending on your worldly understanding and expectation of your purpose and trust that our heavenly father knows how to lead us. It’s time to let go of relying on your own abilities to hear him. He is our shepherd, give Him some credit and trust that He knows how to do his job.
One of the most revolutionary things I’ve been told in my faith journey so far was from a Pastor at a Church I went to one time. She said to me
“Stop relying on your ability to hear God, it’s not about what you are capable of. Rely on His ability to lead you instead. Trust that He knows how to get your attention and that he will equip you”
– Pastor Alison Christie from Fire Church, Melbourne
This blew my mind and completely relieved me of this stress. It kick-started my process of surrender and helped me to trust.
Fast forward a few months and I still don’t know what the best thing for me to do with my time is, but I have realised a few things;
- Purpose does not necessarily equal job. What I do to earn a living does not define my God-given purpose.
- It is easy to be overwhelmed and confused when you zoom too far out. Look instead for what resources you have available now, what you can do today and be open to see where it leads.
- If you don’t know, try something and let God course correct from there
- Instead of asking “What am I good at? What should I do?”, ask “Who can I serve and how?”.
What God Has to Say
God gave us a gift of Gold when he left us his word. The Bible is our ultimate source of wisdom. While it has answers to all of lifes’ big questions and guidance through all the storms, it won’t necessarily spell out to you whether you’re best suited to be a marketing exec or a teacher. Luckily, that’s not the whole meaning of your purpose!
I have recently come to realise that our ultimate purpose is to spend eternity with our heavenly father. In Romans 8:30 Paul (what a legend btw) reminds us of our eternal timeline. “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Our plans are part of a bigger story that end in us being glorified with Christ.
Although not outlining a step-by-step guide, God does however, clearly tell us what our multi-faceted purpose is. As His children we are to:
- Multiply his kingdom and raise up Godly families – Genesis 1:28
- Fear God, serve and love him with all our hearts, souls and strength – Deuteronomy 11:13
- Love and serve each-other with humility in accordance with His will – James 1:27
- Share the love, hope, and truth of the Gospel – Matthew 28:19
- Be conformed to the Likeness of Christ – Romans 8:28-29
Confirming the Truth
If we really look deep within ourselves, we can confirm this all to be true. We feel the most peace and joy when we are wholeheartedly loving others. We innately desire to build families, to be wives and mothers. The further we go in our sanctification, the more strength, identity, purpose and peace we have and the more we want to share it with others.
Let’s camp on this for a second. If God’s purpose for His children is built into them then we can rest assured that we have been naturally and wonderfully made to live out God’s purpose for our lives. The closer we grow to God, the further we live out our purpose.
So if 1 + 1 = 2 then, it seems our purpose is to allow God’s will to be done in us and through us. It’s not about what we do but rather, who we are becoming.
What you do to spend your days matters less than whether you are growing closer to God, whether what you are doing is being done for His glory and whether your heart and identity is residing in Christ.
God Will lead us in our purpose, He is sovereign, almighty and all-knowing. Give him your heart and your willingness and he will do the rest.
Some Helpful Scriptures
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
– Jeremiah 29:11
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
– Proverbs 16:9
“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
– Isaiah 43:7
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
– Ecclesiastes 12:13
Closing
If you have been in a season of questioning your purpose, lacking clarity on what you are meant to do, I hope that this has helped guide you back to God.
Be reassured that your ultimate purpose is to be His Child, to know Him and make Him known. His will is built into you and by seeking Him, His specific plan for you will be revealed as it unfolds.
Despite walking in all the unknowns, if we keep our eyes fixed on God, we will never be lost.
I pray that you would continue to live out your purpose by drawing nearer unto Him and that God would work in your heart to align your will with His.
Until next time,
Luisa
Guess what?! I’ve started a Podcast! Ladies of the Lord is your new home leading you back to your rightful place with Jesus. There I share my own experiences with the hope it will encourage you in your faith. You can find it on Spotify here!
