Have you noticed how hard it is to listen to the news these days? It seems like the media relishes in giving us the bad news, the awful news and the really awful news. True, we hear of heroes who saved lives on subway trains or of men and women who are serving our country or communities.
Henry David Thoreau once said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Sadly, especially in our cultural times, that is true. No matter that our civilization is privy to ideas, inventions and conveniences that previous generations didn’t even dream of and if they did, they were either seen as crackpots or “out there.” But seriously, think about the advances we have seen in just the past 5 to 10 years. I can remember when my dad was a computer operator and the computers were in a frigid room and were as big as a house. (Okay, slight exaggeration, unless you consider a mini-home). 🙂 In spite of our technological advances, we still see far too many men and women who wander aimlessly, with the no particular direction to go. These people are purposeless. I liken it to two things I believe we can all relate to. One is a pinball machine. I’m sure we have all seen them in action. Pull the lever and watch the ball take off. And then we watch it and it goes from bumper to bumper-once, twice, three times-and eventually drops to get slapped back into action again. The other picture is of the person wandering in the woods, seemingly lost. They can do one of two things: either continue wandering willy nilly in a “whatever strikes your fancy” way (which shows no purpose), or follow a path until it either leads you out of the woods or burns itself out and you have to backtrack and start all over again (at least there is a method to the madness).
Have you ever considered the idea that the Christmas story has the stories of two men who knew their purpose and knew why they came? One was John the Baptizer. Zechariah said about his son: “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High because you will prepare the way for the Lord.” (Luke 1:76). The following 3 verses tell us more of John’s purpose. The other was Jesus. We know why He came. He even tells us over and over throughout His short ministry that He came to “seek and save the lost.” “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10)
So, the question we all must face is “Why am I here?” What is my purpose in life? Hopefully, you know what yours is. Live that purpose to its fullest.
{All Scripture from the NLT}
Amen, Bill! We are all born with a God-given purpose, but we must seek Him and obey in order to fulfill the life God wants for us.
Blessings always!
Yes we are Martha. And I certainly want to be one who lives a life of purpose and on purpose.
I don’t know if I can speak for anyone else, but I tend to weave between thinking I am right where God wants me and not having a clue if I am where I am supposed to be. Life has a way of creating great distractions that pull my attention and just when I think I am doing well…WHAM… Can you say pride comes before the fall? I think I remember reading that recently. Not a great fall, just sometimes a way to get knocked off the pedestal. The funny thing is I don’t seak the attention or the accolades. I think this all boils down to purpose. Lack of purpose is one of the greatest man killers that can lead one down a spiral that is impossible to get out of without the grace and power of Christ. Brent Henderson talks about the lack of purpose in his Book The Roar Within. A book I had the privilege of reading and listening to many times this past year. Thanks for sharing it with me Bill!
I think the wondering is part of the growth process Ryan. I know for years i wondered if I was supposed to be in the ministry, especially after failures and firings. But these last 19 years have cemented the decision I made years ago: “I will go wherever you want me to Lord and do whatever you want me to do.” I’m honored you have listened and read the book. It was impactful to me as well, maybe as much as Wild at Heart was at the time.
I agree with Ryan, there are times I feel like I am working with purpose for the Lord, and sometimes I feel lost. Sometimes, I feel like my pray life with my pray group is on fire and is exactly where God wants me. Other times I feel like God needs more, and I look for opportunities and feel like I am moving but not always in the right place. I do know my spiritual life has grown over the past ten years, and that God has opened my eyes and is molding me, and helping me to grow. I just want to be in the right places and doing the right things according to God’s plan and not my own plans.
What you say here Gail is important. “You want to be in the right place and doing the right things according to God’s plan and not my own.” That is why I believe God is going to use you in ways you do not know.