To the girl looking for her purpose

Whether you are 18 or 80, we all experience those winds of change.  Maybe you just got out of high school, and you are wondering what career to choose.  Maybe you’re a young mom but your kids went off to school and now you are home without them most of the day. Maybe you are a new empty nester wondering what to do now that your kids have flown away.  Or maybe you retired and you’re wondering “what’s next for me?”  But no matter what phase you are entering, there is something scary, exciting, and even a little emotional when you are in this “wandering stage.”

I don’t know what season of change you are in, or which will be the next one for you. But I do know that whichever it is, it’s a good one because you have purpose and that is exciting!  But I also know that can be intimidating, so my hope is to first fill you up with God’s truth and then hopefully help you along to finding your purpose.

Truths

Truth #1: Our primary purpose in all that we do is to glorify God.

1 Corinthians 10:31- Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Truth #2: Our lives are marked by living like Jesus and Jesus lived a life of servanthood not a life of self-gratification.

Philippians 2:5-8- Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

So how do these truths guide our next steps?

For example: Sometimes we think when our load gets a little lighter that means we should just do what makes us happy, even if that means sitting on the couch and telling our grown kids to make us dinner since we did it for them for so many years. But this is where we apply the truth of the gospel we talked about above. Truth #1, when applied to this scenario, would make us realize that kind of thinking is not glorifying to God at all.  Glorifying God means we are reflecting the love and beauty of Christ. And in this situation, we would be far from it.  Then, if we applied Truth #2 to this scenario, we’d quickly wake up and realize that Jesus never had a heart to serve himself. His heart was humble and sacrificial to the point of death. Whoa, that’s convicting.

You may be thinking “living like Jesus sounds terrible!” But can I let you in on a secret? Anytime I’ve tried to live for myself or have been self-focused, I have been the most unhappy. But anytime I’ve lived my life serving others, I have felt great fulfillment.  While one is easy, it bears no fruit and often times leads us down a dark road.  And while the other one takes effort, it is fruitful, glorifies God, changes others and ourselves. And that is a reward in and of itself.

So here are 3 questions to ask yourself, pray about and meditate on, that I pray lead you to finding your purpose:

  1. God Given Roles- What God given roles has God given you recently? If God gave you these roles, then He certainly gave you great purpose in them to glorify Him. (Example: New mom, new wife, new aunt, new friend, new grandma, new neighbor etc. It’s not an accident that God placed these precious people in your life.)
  2. God Given Talents- What talents do you have that you can use to serve others? Whether it’s your family, community, church etc. God gave you talents to use for His glory and your purpose! Remember the parable of the talents? God wants you to USE THEM!
  3. God Given Influence- Who has God put in front of you? Sometimes we don’t open our eyes to see that God has us right where he wants us.  We have influence on those around us and our purpose can many times be found right there in the middle of it.  Maybe you now have time to start a neighborhood Bible study?  Maybe you have time to make more of those necklaces that you’ve been making for fun and now you can sell them at your local flea market where you will glorify God! Remember: glorifying God is reflecting His love and beauty even if you never get a chance to say His name.

These are just a few questions to get you started and on your way to letting God lead you into the purpose He has for you. Give yourself 20 minutes today to sit quietly, say a prayer asking God to show you what He wants for you, then answer these 3 questions.

Ladies, if we all let God lead our lives, this earth would look a little more like heaven. And we can let it begin with us.

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