As the final component of a Christian worldview, the question is often raised, “What is your purpose?” Although I might concede that this can be a fine question, I believe that it is too often misguided and, to be frank, problematic.
Finding one’s purpose: is this an egocentric endeavor?
In response to the question of one’s purpose, it is commonly asserted that since God made us in His image (one of the key starting points in a Christian worldview), then we should aim to discern what God’s will is for us.
My first concern with this endeavor is that the question is inherently self-centric and not Theo(God)-centric. In other words, it is a great question if we were to start from an Enlightenment, modernist, or even a post-modernist, worldview—both of which are intensely individualistic.
But it is not a good question when we begin with a Christ-centered worldview.
Now I am not saying that we shouldn’t strive to pursue our ambitions and fulfill our giftings and callings. (more in my post next week). After all, it may well be that our giftings and callings are from God and that He has given them to us for His glory.
But this is not necessarily where many people go when they are taught to ask, “What is God’s will for my life?”
Henry Blackaby, in his best-selling work, Experiencing God, notes that he believes the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” is the wrong question. Instead, Blackaby contends, we should be asking “What is God’s will?”
Blackaby goes on to explain that each day we should endeavor to ask, “God, show me where you are working today,” and then, Blackaby encourages us to add, “And how can I join you in your work.”
There is, in other words, much more at the heart of our “calling” than to discern what God’s will is for our lives.
Note: when we in the West frame the question as “What is God’s will for my life?” we often mean such things as: what career path does God have for me?; what man/woman does God want me to marry?; where does God want me to live?; etc.
Jesus and God’s will
Imagine if Jesus started out His ministry with, “God, what is your will for my life?” You might not see anything wrong with this question, but it is fundamentally opposed to what Jesus actually did.
One of the reasons why Jesus was constantly in prayer was because His lifelong pursuit was to do God’s will not God’s will for His life. And it was in prayer that Jesus sought to discern His will.
Jesus even taught us to pray: “Your will be done” (Matt 6:10).
Now, you might object that Jesus is not the best example because He was God and He had a special purpose.
To which I would respond that Jesus is the PERFECT EXAMPLE!
Jesus was the true Adam. He was the true human. He did what Adam and Eve failed to do. He was faithful. We are called to “follow Me” (Mark 2:14). And we are called to do what Jesus did. As Paul says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).
NB: I am not denying that Jesus also came to be the ultimate sacrifice and to defeat death—which also works to confirm my point because we too are called to take up our crosses and follow Him (Mark 8:34).
I argued in an earlier post that Adam and Eve’s failure (it was not a Fall but a Failure) was that they sought wisdom on their own terms and not the wisdom that comes from God. They made themselves (or the serpent) Lord and they failed to acknowledge that Jesus/YHWH was Lord.
Is not our asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” in many ways the same mistake Adam and Eve made? Should we not be asking, “What is God’s will?”
Finding one’s purpose: is this a question of privilege?
Another problem that I see with the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” is that it is a question of privilege.
What I mean by this is that many/most (I am not a sociologist so I am not sure if it is many or most) people in the world are far more concerned with how they are going to find clean water and where their next meal is coming from, than they are with “What is God’s will for my life?”
They are not concerned with “God’s will” as we typically mean by the question. Instead, they are concerned with surviving.
Maybe, then, we should consider that God’s will (for our lives) might center on how to alleviate the suffering of so many. (I’ll get back to this in my next post)
Now, I suspect that many will not go down this path—I hesitate to go down it myself.
But let me add one thing to the equation.
Richard Foster, in his masterful work, The Freedom of Simplicity, which I think everyone should read or become familiar with, notes that there is not enough wealth in the world for us to endeavor to bring the poor to our standard of living.
In other words, Foster contends, in order for us to have what we in the West have, someone else must go without.
This means that in order for us to help the poor and the marginalized in the world (not necessarily every instance) we need to bring our standard of living down.
NB: I encourage you to take a simple test on the website: slaveryfootprint.org (you will be surprised/grieved at what you learn).
An example of this is the Fair Trade movement that went through many churches a while back (it may still be making its way through churches and society as a whole, but my experience dates back a decade or more).
The idea of Fair Trade goods is that we are able to purchase products that were made by local individuals in third-world countries at a price that enables the workers to be paid a “fair” or living wage.
When I worked for a mega church, we hosted Fair Trade organizations several times. In fact, we aimed to host such groups in the Fall so that our congregation could purchase goods and then give them to family members as Christmas presents.
Problem: the goods were expensive. After all, who wants to purchase a bar of soap for $10 when we can buy a multi-pack of soap for much less?
And, if I purchased a necklace for a family member at $40, then it meant that I would have less money to get them other things.
The problem is simple: we were not willing to sacrifice our standard of living so that others might have enough to live on. We preferred to buy many presents from Target, Kohls, or wherever, than one gift from a fair trade company.
Is it wrong to ask “What is God’s will for me?”
I am not saying that asking, “What is God’s will for you?” is wrong. I am saying that we should rephrase the question in terms of “What is God’s will?” I am also saying that the question presumes a level of privilege that needs to be called out.
And, I would add, that our endeavors to find “God’s will” often come at the expense of the marginalized people of the world.
I am also not denying that God gives gifts and callings to each of us. And, I would add, that it is true that we often find our greatest joy and satisfaction when we work and live in accord with God’s gifting. This I will address further in my next post.
to be continued. . . .
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