Today, I’m over at Kate Motaung’s blog Heading Home for 5 Minute Friday. If you’re unfamiliar, this is where women from literally around the world all write about a single word for five unedited minutes. Come on over and check it out HERE.
PURPOSE
Finding your purpose -that phrase that is everywhere in Christian circles these days. I think maybe it started back with Rick Warren’s book, A Purpose Driven Life. There is something magical in believing you have a purpose – not a generic one, but a unique person purpose God especially created you for. I guess we all crave significance and purpose gives that to us at a spiritual level.
Personally, I’ve struggled with the idea of personal purpose. If you asked me to describe myself – the essence of what makes me me- I would probably tell you that I am both a storyteller and a teacher, in that order.
I realize this about myself. I realize that this is who God created me to be and that is my divine calling in many ways. Looking at others who have this purpose, I could even tell you that there is importance in teaching and storytelling. In fact, I’d tell you that the two are intrinsically entwined. As humans, we are wired to crave stories so what better way to teach?
Jesus was a storyteller extraordinaire.
God gave us the Scriptures – the best teaching tool ever, and it just so happens to have a lot of stories in it, too!
And yet, while I can see the good in stories and what they teach us and I can even cite specific examples of stories impacted my own life, I have a hard time ingesting that idea applying to me personally.
So often, my calling and my purpose seem a bit, well, non-essential. I often struggle with a greater purpose to writing children’s stories or even on this blog. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, does it matter if I put a picture book out into the world? Does it matter if I write something on this blog? Is it going to make some eternal difference in the world at large?
It’s so interesting that the word was purpose today, because I just started a new devotional book called I Am: A 60 Day Journey of Knowing Who You are Becaus of Who He Is by Michele Cushatt. Today, the second day, was “I am formed.” The verse was Ephesians 2:10.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them.
I’ve read this verse a zillion times. In fact, I taught the book of Ephesians in my Sunday school class, so I knew the word workmanship was the Greek word we get poem from and I thought that was cool. But what I somehow missed was that the Greek word for “created” actually means, “designed with a certain ability, capability or capacity.”
As I have really tried to buckle down and be obedient in my calling by scheduling blocks of writing time, that whisper that what I’m doing doesn’t really matter and it isn’t even very spiritual has gotten louder. I’m sure that isn’t a coincidence.
Today, though, this verse hit me square between the eyes and dislodged that whispered lie. God created me – HE designed me with this ability to write and tell stories and teach. He designed me that way for good works. Those things He designed me for ARE good works and He prepared them beforehand so I would walk in them.
Head knowledge became heart knowledge today.
How about you? What thing are your designed for that maybe doesn’t feel special enough or spiritual enough? I’d love to hear about it!
4 Comments on 5 Minute Friday – PURPOSE
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Rosanne, I have struggled with this too, to believe what I have to say is of worth. But here’s the thing: I can’t tell your story because it’s yours and vice versa. Your work is so important. You are God’s beloved child and there is no other Rosanne. Now living this out is the challenge. ? I love Michele Cushatt, btw! Thanks for sharing this. Purpose takes some of us longer than others, and that’s O.K. I’m still in the process too. In the spot after you;)
Thanks for stopping by, Christine. My biggest struggle is this sense that my calling isn’t all that spiritually important in the big scheme of things, but I’m learning to stop attaching the world’s value to God’s design. Glad I’m not the only one still in process! 🙂
Rosanne, so nice to meet you! I’m also reading I Am and gaining new truths and insight after decades in the Christian life. I’m your neighbor #22 at this week’s #fmf.
How fun that we are reading the same book! 🙂 I just finished The Real God by Chip Ingram and I can’t recommend it enough!!