On Purpose

Growing up, it was common for me to hear people wondering about their purpose. Why are we here? What are we supposed to do with our lives? It was actually a series of questions I always dreaded in school. I didn’t want to think about my future and plan for college or a career. I was just a kid and, in my kid world, that was complex enough! What I ended up doing most often was coming up with something that sounded like the right answer, but never truly exploring what I wanted a future to look like for me. So in essence, even in my daily life, I never really delved deeply into purpose.

As a child in church, I had a similar experience. I would watch all my fellow church kids grow up and emerge with all these amazing talents that were utilized in church and I’d often wonder what on earth I was supposed to do. I wasn’t a singer or a musician or anything. So what?

Years later, I came to realize that my issue was in putting so much emphasis on other people. Spending so much of my time looking at everyone else made me feel more and more inadequate. I was so focused on how awesome everyone else was doing that I began to settle into the role of the underachiever. The reality is that my purpose is not about how well I sing or how great I play the piano or dance or anything else. That is not to belittle any of those talents, but that’s what they are. Talents. My purpose is a lot greater than that and is actually quite simple.

As a believer, I have to first learn what the purpose is that God has for my life. If I’m trying to discover that on my own, then I’ll face challenges often. But in aligning myself with God’s purpose, then it becomes less about me and what I’m able to do and more about how to step out of the way and allow God to receive the glory in everything that I do. So when it comes to the meaning of life, I think about it like the alphabet.

There are 26 letters that make it up. Each serves a different purpose and offers a different sound. Some may be similar sounding or looking, but they are still different. And not every letter is present in every word, but it doesn’t make a single one any less important. We need to embrace living our lives the same way. If I’m a “V” than I’m going to be the best “V” that I can be. Afterall, they can’t spell violin without a me! It’s easy to overlook that when I’m focusing on pianos, cellos, guitars, and everything else. 

Don’t get distracted by who or what you are not. That type of negativity can spread and consume quicker than you realize and suddenly, your brightness is dim. If you have questions about purpose, always start by putting God first. Everything else will fall in line. 

Stay Sunny! 

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