What is Your Purpose?

We should all have a calling, right? A passion that drives us. “If you find your purpose, you will never work a day in your life”, and will be wonderfully successful, respected, admired, and make loads of money. At least, that’s what I’ve always heard, so it must be true. 

What if I told you that having a “Life’s Purpose” is a myth. 

We are taught by society, and modern culture that to be fulfilled, we have to find our one special calling, that career we love, and it will bring us prosperity and fortune all of our days. 

Why is this philosophy problematic? 

…Because we aren’t built to have only one purpose. We are each meant to fulfill many unique and diverse missions throughout our lives. We have dreams and goals for ourselves, but we are multidimensional beings and our greatest life passions and fulfillments may or may not be wrapped up in that job we desire. 

Most of the time when we say, “What is God’s will for my life?” We are referring to our careers, right? But God allows purpose to thrive in so many aspects of our lives.

You can be a passionate artist, a wife, mother, doctor, friend, AND a passionate writer. You can find calling, drive, and fulfillment in multiple areas of your life. 

The world hands us such an impossible task of figuring out our one and only sparkling, unicorn reason for existing, and it puts sooooo much pressure on all of us. Once we believe we’ve found our “life’s calling”, complete our degrees or training, we can finally pour our passion into the work… but some time later, there’s an itch that comes over us. We feel unsettled, maybe even claustrophobic. If you’ve felt this way before, it’s miserable. And it’s also a huge disappointment that the dream we wished for doesn’t feel like we hoped it would. You do everything you can to refresh that passion you once had in your work, however, more than likely, the feeling of displacement whittles away at your spirit. 

A Life’s Purpose is not the same as a Life of Purpose. 

We were not built to stay in one place. God has so many plans for each of us. Some of us are amazing multi-taskers, juggling projects and people all at once, and others of us pour everything we have into one job, person, or other undertaking, and then we are diverted to our next chapters. One season ends, and the next begins. Sometimes there are painful seasons in between for our growth, for pruning, and for us to prepare for whatever we are meant to do next. And for some of us, those painful seasons last, so we seek out purpose and meaning in the big and small moments. 

Callings come in seasons. We all hear the stories again and again: Someone had a career they loved, then a crisis struck, but that sideroad somehow illuminated a new and exciting path. It happens all the time. 

Like me, you might be asking, “What is God’s will for my life now?” You might feel a little bit lost in the fog, the upside-down, so to speak. Very rarely, we have these beautiful gifts of some extended time when we are just waiting to find out- what’s next? It can seem like forever, but rest assured, you are never forgotten by your Creator. 

I’m not very good at being still and peaceful while I wait, because I am so impatient. It is such a comfort to know, we are always fulfilling our Life’s Purpose when our desire is to please God. When you’re seeking to do the next right thing, you can be at ease that you are living inside of your destiny.  

Fire Brick Road: poem

Yellow Brick Road | by Artist Andrea

~Fire Brick Road~

Down this yellow brick road of fire and pain

There are things that you’ll learn and there’s knowledge you’ll gain.

*

You learn people prefer when you’re funny instead

Of telling the truth about how bad things get.

 *

You’ll figure it out that folks get annoyed

When you tell them you’re hurting when they’re feeling joy.

 *

If someone asks about your health facts,

You must pair each truth with a blessing you have.

*

Otherwise, they will think that you are pathetic,

Even though they may really seem sympathetic.

*

Make sure to be cautious about each complaint,

You’re “sick” now so people expect you to act like a saint!

 *

A bit more advice as you walk the path:

You’ll subtract a few friends, so learn some quick math.

 *

You’re just not fun like they remember,

But hang on to the ones who will love you forever.

 *

If you are grateful, then you will do better

The things that are negative really can fester.

 *

If someone else tries to meet a need,

It’s best to say “thanks!” and learn to receive.

 *

This yellow brick road of fire and ice

Has more stuff like: Doctors, and money, and guilt… OH MY!

 *

But on this road you aren’t alone

God’s with you, and others who limp it in toe.

 *

So when you are ready just reach on out,

Someone will be here; there’s always traffic on this route.

-by A Body of Hope

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Yellow Brick Road | by Artist Andrea

Thank you to Artist Andrea for allowing her awesome Yellow Brick Road painting to be featured. Please go buy one of her unique original pieces from Etsy. Many of her paintings have the spirit of Frida Kahlo. Check them out!