All of us face the question at some point in our lives: what is my purpose? We all desire to do something worthwhile, especially to feel that what we do matters. For many of us, the question is elusive. For most of our lives, we’ve been told our purpose lies in specific things…that we may or may not be suited to do. Some think it’s answered in fame, others in obscurity. When it comes to walking in purpose, what does that look like, sound like, and feel like?
How do we start walking in purpose? In this column, we are going to address this very question – and examine what we need to do as we take steps to walk in purpose!
Pressures, pressures everywhere!
If you turn on Christian television stations today, you will see all sorts of things. One thing notable is the way that ministers and preachers often seem mismatched. They might try to be pastors or apostles when they are called to be something else. People often think certain titles give them something more than another might. Many think being one thing is more desirable than something else. With the modern push to define ministry as a sort of Christian therapy meets rock star venue, many are trying to accomplish something within themselves that isn’t who they are. With the church – and church followers – pressuring ministers of all sorts to exceed the limits of what God has called them to do, how can they sort out their call from the opinions of others?
Workers face pressure on the job. Many women agonize abut what course their lives should take. Men face the pressure to provide, perform, and “be all right,” regardless of how they might feel. Students feel pressures from parents, teachers, exams, and of general fears for the future. Society pressures non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals. We live in a demanding and pressuring world. It’s universal that everyone should live up to certain expectations, both in and out of church. We’re supposed to aspire to greater things, bigger visions, and we aren’t encouraged to be content. It’s not enough to be a great minister, mom, student, worker, friend, or husband. The whole world tells us, through assumptions, expectations, pressures, and opinions what we should want to do.
We are individuals
Psalm 138:8 contains a profound statement on the fulfillment of divine purpose:
The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of Your hands. (NIV)
When we follow God’s purpose for our lives, we can trust God will be faithful to fulfill His purpose in us. He will never abandon us. God does this by revealing His purpose for us to us. We are each individually appointed for is service, here to build the Kingdom of God. He looks at each one of us as individuals, just as each aspect of creation (the works of His hands) are also formed individually.
None of us is a clear-cut copied mold. We are individuals, and God has created us that way for a reason. We aren’t called to do the exact same thing at the exact same time. If everybody did
the exact same thing, both society and God’s Kingdom would be imbalanced. As a result, we can’t be reduced to mere roles, actions, or mechanics. God calls us as individuals, He loves us as such, and He raises us up to be exactly what we are to be – if we are willing to shut out the voices of the world and listen to Him. He will lead us to where we should be, connecting us to those who are best suited to help us develop our purpose.
Your purpose is your power
Sometimes we misunderstand the concept of purpose because we confuse it with a calling. Calling and purpose are connected, but they aren’t the same. A calling is what we are called to do in this life. It is something we do. We can also say it’s an outlet for our purpose. Our purpose is the very reason we are here, the reason why we exist. By God’s grace, He provides us gifts to enable our purpose, executed best through our calling.
That all being said, our ultimate purpose is to know, love, and serve God. How we come to know, love, and serve God is unique to each individual. Through our calling, we are able to serve God most effectively. These things come together, all within each of us to produce a sense of purpose in our lives.
Contrary to what many might think, you don’t have to be in full-time ministry to have purpose in life. If that’s what you’re called to do, then you will find purpose in it, but that’s not the only place purpose lies. God’s purpose is at work in everyone’s life. It’s strongest when we answer His calling for us and works most effective when we follow His precepts. To get to this stage, we must seriously look at our lives and determine what God has for us. If we want to do this, we must stop trying to conform to worldly standards and expectations and start looking below the surface.
Who am I?
We all ask ourselves who we are and what is our fate at one point in time or another. It’s a natural part of discerning who we are in Christ and how we can best serve God this side of heaven. We don’t come to discern this process by some sort of majestic revelation or destiny. Angels don’t descend with a trumpet blast to tell us who we are. Discovery of God’s purpose for us does not lie outside of us, but within us. Our life experiences draw out that purpose, connecting us to our calling.
Anything we are here to pursue takes dedication and effort. You wouldn’t be better off with someone else’s calling because they are not you. Rather than being jealous, envious, or assuming life would be easier in a different way, it’s more practical to focus on what God has given you. Develop and embrace that for yourself. Big things don’t define us; God defines us. Seeing the different ways God works within you will help you to grow and become all you’re destined to be within your God-given purpose.
Doing rather than being
The modern world puts great emphasis on doing, especially what we seek to do in life. At six years old, children are asked what they want to do when they grow up. This as if any six-year old has any concept of opportunities, life, and how the two intercept. The next several years of a child’s life are spent forming and pushing children toward a goal that society has created. We are taught to push, excel, and leave our competition in the dust. As a result, we understand doing more than being. As long as there is a reward in sight, we consider what we do to be successful.
Scripture teaches us a different lesson. Our purpose and are calling are intertwined with who we are. We do, not out of compulsion or expectation, but because it’s who we are. God equips us for purpose, giving us gifts to do His work. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 says:
Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different results, but the same God Who produces all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. (NET)
We have these gifts to do something, but God has invested them within each one of us, a combination of abilities only we can do.
With God’s gifts, we don’t have to worry about competing. None of us is called to do things in the same manner as another. We don’t have to feel bad that we don’t operate in the same way someone else does. Being who God calls us to be is an amazing feat, and what God gives to us is unlike anything He gives to another.
The Kingdom of God is within you
Luke 17:21 tells us:
The Kingdom of God is within you! (KJV)
It’s important to see the parallel between walking in purpose and Jesus’ statement. The Kingdom is placed inside each Christian through their purpose and manifest as they walk out their calling within God’s will. Purpose isn’t just about doing showy things for attention, but about following God in our everyday lives. It’s about becoming Kingdom representatives as we walk out our purpose through everything we do.
In recognizing purpose, it’s important to see that, according to Luke 17:21, the Kingdom of God is us. It’s not a denomination, a building, or even our friends who provide our purpose. The Kingdom of God is within us, then manifesting outside of us. We must be who God has called us to be: a light unto the world, a vessel, spiritual, of integrity, salt of the earth, person if faith, the church. We don’t do these things, we are these things! There’s no time to play church. By the grace of God, we are endowed to be the Kingdom of God in this world. Everything comes from Him, and everything goes to Him. When we realize who we are, that changes everything we aspire to become.
The power in being rather than doing
Most of us spend our lives in the rat race of competition. We obey the rules of the world which call us to outdo others. This keeps us on the hamsters wheel of doing, not being. Then we meet God, and many still continue in competition. God doesn’t ask us to compete, He asks us to be! God simply asks us to be who we are by following His complete will for our lives. No longer do we have to concern ourselves with what someone else does better or longer, different or the same. We only have to rest in our purpose to know, love, and serve Him.
This complete and total freedom from the world’s system is a privilege each believer can embrace for themselves! We can walk in our purpose and follow our calling while respecting the same for others. We don’t all have to be the same! There’s no need to fall into a straight, legalistic line. It’s not about what others think, say, or do. It’s about us following in the footsteps of Christ daily, facing whatever may come along that we have to face. We can know the power of it all rests in our God-given purpose, sent straight from heaven.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In