Let God define your purpose

What is it that you think you need to make you whole?  What piece is missing in your life?

"If only I had ______, I know I could make it."  

When life doesn't turn out as planned, where to we turn?

Or when we reach a certain age where we thought we should have "arrived" by now but aren't there at all, then what?  Give up?  Stop dreaming?  Stop living?

No one tells you that you wake up one day and you're 20 years older in a flash.  

Oh sure, people talk about how quickly time flies.  But we don't really feel it when we're young.  It's only as we get older that we realize how short life really is.

And boy, it  - time, life - whizzes by at breakneck speed.

Maybe you are a goal-setter and your life is so carefully planned out, to the smallest detail, that you are exactly where you planned to be in life, where you wanted to be, and doing what you thought you would be doing at your age.  

For me, it's like the Lord would not let certain dreams come to pass for me - dreams I thought that if they came true, I would finally be content and satisfied - know my purpose.

But God had a greater purpose for me.

The harder I tried to "make something happen," the more it would elude me.  

Since a young adult, I have always sought the Lord's will for my life.  I wanted what He wanted.  Or so I thought.  Only what has transpired is not nearly what I had hoped would be His will for me.

Maybe I made His will out to be something that it is not.  Maybe I got sucked in to believing the world's ways of how and what my life should "look like."  Even the church looks so much like the world nowadays that Christians don't really stand out as they once did.  We've made "following our dreams" into our god.

So how do I really know what I need?  Can I trust my desires?  How in the heck do I know what is best for me?

I thought I knew best.  After all, I've lived with myself longer than anyone!

But God created me.  Only He truly knows my greatest purpose.  God always creates everything and everyone with a clear purpose in mind.  The sun for warmth and life, the moon so our nights wouldn't leave us in total darkness, the stars, the planets, an acorn, a ladybug, flowers, trees - they all serve a purpose and were created for a reason.

But humans are much more complex, to say the least.

As Christians, we are taught to know and serve God and glorify Him forever.  But how?  Where?  In what context?  

God gave me the gift of music.  So that should be my purpose, right?  To make it, to learn it, to sing it, to share it.  Music, playing the piano, specifically, has always come naturally to me.  And the Lord has used my gifts, hopefully, to serve others, bring them joy, and move them closer to God.

But what if making music were only part of the picture?  What if I focused too narrowly on making music when actually, the Lord's purpose for me goes far beyond only that?

What if the Lord were more interested in my heart, my character?  Then what?  How would "making music" fit in to that plan?  

Maybe worldly success would have gone to my head, ruined me. Then what good would that be?  Would I be?

If I am in tune with the Lord through His Holy Spirit, and His Word, and am seeking to fully obey Him in all things, then I am living in my purpose - no matter where I live, what I've "accomplished," what success I have achieved or not.  

You see, it is far more crucial that we follow Christ no matter where He leads than achieving some worldly goal or dream.  And when He leads us where we would rather not go, do we stop short and run the other way because it is not what we wanted or planned for our lives?  That is not true discipleship.  

No.  When we say that Jesus is Lord of our lives, then He needs to be just that.  Calling the shots.  Placing us where He needs us most - for others' sake, not just for our own.  He places us where we will be of most use to Him.  And if that is somewhere we would rather not be, then so be it.  

The key is to keep Him as Lord, as the Captain of our life's ship, so to speak.  And even when we run into "rocks" or a "sand bar" and feel stuck, alone, or just plain useless - He knows best.  And He can get our "ship" unstuck with the snap of His fingers, should He so choose.

In the meantime (the "meantime" can last a lifetime sometimes!), we press on to know Him.  For knowing Him is my life's purpose.  Yours, too, if you call yourself His follower.

Know this, too:  this temporal, earthly life is but a prelude to our eternity with the Lord.  There and then, we will live out our purpose without reservation, and truly be all God made us to be.  We will do more works there than we could ever accomplish in ten lifetimes here.

We have a hope and a future in Christ.  We need not fear "missing" our purpose or fear goals alluding us here and now.  Our future is a glorious one with Christ!  We will be "allowed" to create, do, be, dream and do everything that perhaps were weren't allowed or meant to do here.  

Unhindered, with no enemies or obstacles, we will rule and reign with Christ forevermore.  For this He is preparing us!  An eternal perspective always helps, for we are eternal creatures.  

Life is fleeting.  And even if we were to achieve every last goal on our list, and complete our "bucket lists," there will be endless things for us to do in eternity.  So take heart, beloved!  God is on His Throne conducting not only the universe at His command, but our very lives, too.  

As long as we cling to Him, stay surrendered to Him, obey Him, love Him, follow Him, we will be living out our truest purpose.  Our greatest purpose.  Our biggest purpose.

So take heart those of you whose lives have not turned out as you'd hoped or dreamed.  You have a greater purpose inside of you - to know your Creator.  Therein lies your greatest contentment, hope, and fulfillment.  Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!

May we be attuned to our greatest purpose ever - for in finding and knowing Christ, we find and know ourselves.  Press on!