Living Life on Purpose ~ Part 1

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You know, it doesn’t seem to matter how old we are, there’s always something in us that calls us to something more: something different…some purpose that makes our life seem valuable.

We are constantly searching for significance. And I don’t know about you, but I really want my life to count…I want to make a difference.

When I stand before the Lord, I don’t want to have my life consist primarily of my trips to the grocery store, my days at work, carpools or even the hours I spend sitting in church. I want my life to count for so much more than just the dailies of life.

How about you?

But the problem that we all face is that all of these mundane things have to be done and they seem to take up so much of our time.

Maybe if we were some kind of fulltime ministry…then all we would have to do all day every day is serve the Lord. I remember when God called me to missions that I had this lofty idea that I was going to go on the field…live with the people…witness to them…serve

Jesus all day, every day and that would be all I would have to do…spend time with Him and for Him.

It didn’t occur to me that missionaries have to eat too. It didn’t take long to realize that my husband ate just as much there as he did here. So I quickly realized that my life as a wife and mother there was much like my life as a wife and mother here. You know, trips to the grocery store (VERY LONG TRIPS TO THE GROCERY STORE), cooking, cleaning, doing laundry (which was also much more time consuming in those Costa Rican wanna-a-be washing machines).

I must have been totally delusional to think I was going to get out of that cooking and cleaning thing!!

No matter where we are or what we are involved in…we still all live in this flesh…we still live in this world and we still have obligations to fulfill.

So the question is…how can I make this life really count when I’m so busy just trying to live it? It seems like life is so busy, it’s even hard to PLAN OUT time to do things that we know will make a difference.

We all want our lives to have purpose, but in order to live a life of purpose – we have to live our life on purpose – another words…not just reacting to every situation we’re faced with, but making choices on a moment by moment basis that will glorify God.

Well, let’s begin with a foundation of what we need to know about how God sees us and then, throughout this week, we’re going to get into the practical side of how to flesh out what we know we should be doing.

You see, as Christians, we can have confidence that God didn’t just mold us-shakes us up and spin us out into this world to randomly fall wherever we land.

God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 (Amplified)

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

God is good and because He is good, His plans for us are good.

I may not understand what I go through, but I can rest assured that whatever I go through, He will weave it together and fulfill His perfect plan for me. (Romans 8:28)

The last part of Jeremiah 29:11 in the original language tells us that His plans for us will work out in such a way that if we could see the whole picture, the end result would be exactly as we would wish for.

Today, are you struggling with where you are in life? Are you wondering where God is? Why He hasn’t shown up and answered your prayers yet? Why your circumstances are so hard?

I’m not sure what you’re going through are what season of life you’re in, but this I know… God is good even when our circumstances are not. His character and His Word assure us of that.

What are you going through today that make it hard for you to sense the goodness of God? Have you ever struggled with living your life on purpose and for a purpose in the midst of the mundane?

2 Comments

  1. Love this post, Stephanie. Powerful stuff:)

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