The Truth of Purpose
The truth of purpose lies not in the school you choose, the majors you accumulate, or even the honors or awards you receive. Your purpose was designed before the beginning of time and then planted in your heart before you were even born.
#QuoteoftheDay
The window of opportunity
will NEVER close
on your purpose.
– Kathryn Lang
Today at church we honored the graduating seniors. My youngest is graduating this year and he’s been receiving letters and cards for the last several months encouraging him to do this or that. “What do you think?” He’s asked us several times over the years.
“We want you to do what you feel led to do by God and for God.”
Since all of our boys were young, we’ve encouraged them to do what they felt led to do. We didn’t want them caught in the trap of what THEY say – even if my husband and I had managed to get tangled in that trap ourselves (on more than one occasion).
Planning the rest of your life on graduation day seems like an impossible task.
The sermon provided fuel for their journey into the world.
“When you see yourself the way God sees you, it will change how you see everything.”
– Jordan McDaniel
It may have been for the high school graduates. It also spoke powerfully to my heart – and I am a LONG way away from my high school graduation day. I knew what I was going to do next back then. And I knew I wasn’t alone.
When I graduated from high school, I had a full scholarship to college. I had family living in the town where I was moving. Most importantly I had parents who were fully invested in supporting my journey.
As he spoke the words from the pulpit, I realized I was graduating into a new season – one way scarier than what I faced after graduation because I was alone. Or that’s how it felt for the longest time.
Several months back, I started moving towards a faith graduation. Keith and I began releasing the attitudes and ideas that were holding us down (and holding us back). The more I listened, the more I mulled over what he was preaching, the more I leaned into the truth. It turns out that I’m not alone.
On this faith graduation day, I am not alone even if I am facing a lot of unknowns.
God has provided everything I need for the journey (and He’s way better at packing than I was at 18). The people around me are instilling encouragement with their words and their deeds. And most importantly, my husband is all in on this walk with me.
Despite the unknowns, I’m probably more excited today for my next step than I ever was when I packed up the car for college because my next step is purpose driven.
Today, I am confident in the truth of my purpose and that truth makes all the difference in how I see my journey and how I face the world.
Finding the Truth of Purpose
You may have heard me mention at some point in time that you were made on purpose and for a purpose. It’s unique to you and unique for you.
Do you know your purpose?
I am fortunate. Since I can remember, I’ve kept a journal or diary where I documented not only what happened in my life but what others said to me (about me and about my journey).
When I first started thinking about my purpose, I used those past words to help me unlock my unique truth. I found what people said about my gifts. The journals showed what had brought me overflowing joy. I went through and listed all of the things I had learned or experienced.
I used what I had discovered about my uniquenesses to begin defining the truth of my purpose.
And then . . .
I packed all of that up and stuffed it in a box designed by the rules THEY have set.
On this faith graduation day, I ripped that purpose out of the box and stomped the box to pieces.
Almost On Purpose
I have known what I’m supposed to do. There have even been several times in my life where I almost did what I knew I was supposed to do. Stuffing myself in the box THEY built wasn’t the only time I got off track.
To truly live out my purpose, I have to admit when I’m not.
I confess I have let the worry of what others think keep me in place.
In the last year, I have encountered almost a rejection a day. That’s a lot of negative responses. It seems easier to avoid any more rejections instead of daring to share out my words again. I don’t want others to say no.
Money may make the world go around but without it I get stuck fast.
When I’m not drawing an income with my passion, I get tempted to shove that passion and purpose in the THEY box and do something “normal.”
Saying I’m doing is not the same as actually doing.
I can get so busy in much doing that I’m not actually doing anything I know I’m supposed to do. I fall into the distractions instead of the intentional actions that will lead to my purpose.
The hardest thing to admit may be that I have missed the mark.
I listened to so many other people that I lost sight of my uniqueness. Without vision, the dreams perish.
If I’m going to live my purpose, I have to make choices in and for that purpose – with intention, consistency, and focus.
It turns out that when I know the truth of my purpose and I make intentional choices for that purpose, then I will live my BIG DREAMS.
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Have you ever been in a place where you felt like you were in purpose?
Please share your ideas and thoughts on the truth of purpose living, and if you would like to read more about how I’m taking this step into my faith graduation, ask me for today’s post link!
